SQL Server Developer Edition is free for development and testing, not for production. Here are the official download links for every supported version, SQL Server 2017 to SQL Server 2025, with the licensing pages and support end dates. You also get a quick query to check which edition a server runs.
Install AdventureWorks and WideWorldImporters: Updated 2026
Install AdventureWorks and WideWorldImporters once, the right way. Which file to download for your SQL Server, where to put it so the service account can read it, the RESTORE FILELISTONLY step, restore scripts for T-SQL, SSMS, Docker and Linux, and the five errors people email me about. Every command was run on SQL Server 2025.
Where to Download SQL Server 2019 for FREE? – Interview Question of the Week #276
Question: Where to Download SQL Server 2019 for FREE?
Answer: This is one of the most popular questions, I keep on receiving from blog readers.
Stress Testing with oStress – SQL in Sixty Seconds #087
One of the things which we cover in my Comprehensive Database Performance Health Check is how to do Load Testing or Stress Testing with oStress.
SQL SERVER Management Studio and SQLCMD Mode
Honestly, there is an alternative way to quickly use SSMS SQLCMD mode as a development environment, let us learn about it today.
SQL SERVER – How to Download SQL Server Native Client?
A client asked how to download SQL Server Native Client. My tip: search for the SQL Server Feature Pack, which includes the Native Client drivers.
SQL SERVER – Fix: Error – VS Shell Installation Has Failed with Exit Code 1638
A customer’s SQL Server 2017 install kept failing with “VS Shell installation has failed with exit code 1638”. Here is what caused it and how we fixed it.