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I have installed Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 2008 on my system. When I tried to open it for the first time, it asked me for the "Server Name" when I surfed I came to know that I have to check the instance name in Configuration manager-->Sql Services, but I couldn't find any services running in Configuration Manager, it is showing "There are no items to show"
I tried to find out but couldn't.
What am I doing wrong?
You have just downloaded the Management Studio, which is nothing else as an IDE. It seems to me, that you haven't downloaded/installed the SQL Server itself.
You can download it right here. On the website, just hit the download button and check the SQL Server, which is called something like SQLEXPR_x64... or if you running a 32 bit system SQLEXPR_x86....
For those who haven't SSMS downloaded, you can check SSMS on the same download page too and it will be downloaded with the server.
Sql Server Management Studio is just an application used to manage the Sql server database. It is not to be confused with Database Engine.
You will have to install database Engine which is actually the database and will come up in the configuration manager.
