SQL Server 2000 Administration in 15 Minutes a Week: Enterprise Manager Introduction

Welcome to the fourth article in my series SQL Server Administration in 15 Minutes a Week. Up to this point the series has focused on options, requirements, and the installation process. This week we will start working with the tools provided with SQL Server 2000. The topics for this article include:

- Navigating Enterprise Manager
- SQL Server Groups
- Modifying SQL Server Registrations
- Adding SQL Server Registrations
- System Databases
- Books Online


Navigating Enterprise Manager

The Enterprise Manager is a graphical interface tool used to administer your SQL Servers. You can use the Enterprise Manager to configure SQL Server options, create/edit/view databases, perform maintenance and backups, and do quite a few more tasks that we will look at over the next few weeks.

Back a couple of articles we saw that the SQL Server 2000 setup creates a program group on the Start Menu named "Microsoft SQL Server." To launch the Enterprise Manager Click Start > Programs > Microsoft SQL Server > Enterprise Manager

If you have ever used the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) you will notice that the Enterprise Manager looks familiar. This is because the Enterprise Manager is a MMC snap-in like many of the tools provided with Windows 2000. If you would like more information on using the Microsoft Management Console have a look at the following link:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/howitworks/management/mmcover.asp

By expanding "Microsoft SQL Server" and then expanding "SQL Server Group" you can locate the SQL Server you have installed on your local system. Expanding the tree further allows you to manage databases, security, replication, etc.

Right clicking the SQL Servers icon in the tree view will also popup a menu with options that allows you to start/stop the server, view the server messages, access the server's properties, etc.





Enterprise Manager also provides you with a quick look at the status of your SQL Servers. Depending on the icon displayed in the tree view you can tell if SQL Server is running, stopped, paused, or if you are currently connected to the server. Use the following table to check the status of your SQL Servers:

	Server Running, You are currently connected
	Server Running, You are not currently connected
	Server Paused
	Server Stopped

SQL Server Groups and Registrations

In many cases you will want to reorganize how your SQL Servers (or Instances) are listed in Enterprise Manager. To make organizing your SQL Servers simpler, Enterprise Manager allows you to create Server Groups. Creating a new group is not complicated; start by right clicking "Microsoft SQL Server" on the Enterprise Manager tree.

Select "New SQL Server Group" from the popup menu.

The Server Groups screen allows you to create new groups as Top level (under "Microsoft SQL Server") or as a Sub-group under an existing group.

Enter a name for the group in the "Name:" textbox and click OK.




 
You can continue to add Groups and Sub-groups until you have the ideal layout for your organization.

Page 2: Server Registrations

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