SQL Server - Create a Database

One of the first things we should look at with SQL Server/Enterprise Manager is how to create a database. After all, most of the tasks you perform with SQL Server will evolve around one or more databases.

System Databases

If you've only just installed SQL Server, you might notice that some databases have already been created. These are system and sample databases.

We will now create another database for our own use.

Creating a New Database

The following steps demonstrate how to create a database in SQL Server using Enterprise Manager.

1. Right click on the "Databases" icon and select "New Database...":
   
2. Name your database and click "OK":
   

Your New Database

You will now notice your new database appears under the "Databases" section of Enterprise Manager.

Your new database is based on the "Model" database. The Model database is a system database which is used as a template whenever a new database is created. If you use the left pane to navigate to your database and expand the tree, you will notice that your database already contains a number of objects. For example, it already contains tables, views, and stored procedures. These are system objects which provide information about the database.

Other Options

We have just created a database using the default options. When we created the database, a "Data File" and a "Transaction Log" were created. They were created in the default location for our server.

If we'd wanted to, we could have specified a different location for these files by using the "Data Files" tab and "Transaction Log" tab. We also could have changed specifications on whether to allow the file to grow automatically (as it stores more and more data), and if so, how that growth should be managed.

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