Hi all,

I just have Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Management Studio (SSMS 2012) in my PC. Recently, I saw the following book:

Pro Spatial with SQL Server 2012

Author: Alastair Aitchson

Publisher: Apress (2012, 590 pages)

ISBN: 978-1-4302-3491-3

I don't have the regular version of SQL Server 2012 to do the complex tasks of Spatial Data Features. My question is: Is it possible to use SSMS2012 to do the complex Spatial Features? 

Please kindly help, advise and respond.

Thanks in advance,

Scott Chang

I believe using Sql Server 2012 Developer's Edition and SSMS 2012 should be enough.

>> My question is: Is it possible to use SSMS2012 to do the complex Spatial Features?

Good day,

1. SSMS will not help you without the server. SSMS is just a client application that able to connect SQL Server. It is a GUI for the SQL Server, which is actually include several services (according to what we asked to install during the installation and the SQL Server edition).

You can install the free edition of SQL Server which is SQL Server EXPRESS. It can be download from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42299

2. It is not clear to me what you mean by Spatial Features :-) special to who?

You can check yourself what feature each edition include and if this fits your needs. If you have a specific feature that you are not sure, then you can ask and we will try to help clarify if it include in your edition.

check this link: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc645993(v=sql.120).aspx

* for most cases SQL EXPRESS is more then enough for the basic learning and much more. For queries it is probably give you everything that you need, but for example if you want to learn maintenance, then it is not fits your need since it is not include Agent, which is the basic built-in tool for Task scheduling... 

Spatial, not special!

I think the OP is referring to the geography/geometry data types.

Yes, 2008 and on support it.

Hi Ronen Ariely,  Thanks for your nice, valuable response.

I learned something from your response. But, I am still lost in finding the basic computer software programs to get the Spatial Data Features started.  I checked the folder of Microsoft SQL Server 2012 in my PC that is connected to the Window 7 Network System and I saw the following items:

- Download Microsoft SQL Server Compact

- Import & Export Data (32-bit)

- Import & Export (64-bit)

- SQL Server Data Tools

- SQL Server 2012 Management Studio

I clicked on the SQL Server Data Tools and I got Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Shell that had SSIS Toolbox.  Is this SQL Server Data Tools/Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Shell right place plus SSMS2012 for me to do/launch the Spatial Data Features tasks?  Two more questions to ask you: (i)  What is Import and Export Data (32-bit)/Import and Export Data (64-bit) for? (ii) Can Microfost SQL Server Compact program do the Spatial Data Features?

Please kindly help, answer my 3 questions and respond again.

Many Thanks again,

Scott Chang 

P. S.  I also checked the folder of Microsft Visual Studio in my PC, and I saw Visual Studio 2012 Shell (Integrated). Can I use Visual Studio 2012 Shell (Integrated) coupled with SSMS2012 (or SQL Server Data Tools) to do the Spatial Data Features tasks? 

• Edited by Scott H Chang 17 hours 54 minutes ago

SQL Server Compact Edition has no support for spatial queries. (Compact Edition is a completely different engine, which to confuse has the SQL Server moniker stamped on it.)

You can run spatial queries in SSMS 2012, just like you can run any other T-SQL query. For some extra spice, if you run a query that returns spatial data, SQL Server will add a tab with visual representation of the data.

But, as Ronen said, SSMS can do nothing on its own. You need to be connected to an instance running SQL Server. All instances of SQL Server support spatial queries. (Except for Compact, but as noted Compact is really a different animal.)

I agree with Erland. If you want to learn SQL Server, I suggest to spend about $50 for Developer's edition. You can also install free SQL Server Express Edition (it should be with Advanced Tools) but it has some limitations while Developer's Edition has all the features of the Enterprise version with the limitation that it can not be used for production. But it can be used to learn SQL Server, so if this is your goal, that should be your choice, in my opinion.

Hi Ronen Ariely,  Thanks for your nice, valuable response.

I learned something from your response. But, I am still lost in finding the basic computer software programs to get the Spatial Data Features started.  I checked the folder of Microsoft SQL Server 2012 in my PC that is connected to the Window 7 Network System and I saw the following items:

- Download Microsoft SQL Server Compact

- Import & Export Data (32-bit)

- Import & Export (64-bit)

- SQL Server Data Tools

- SQL Server 2012 Management Studio

I clicked on the SQL Server Data Tools and I got Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Shell that had SSIS Toolbox.  Is this SQL Server Data Tools/Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Shell right place plus SSMS2012 for me to do/launch the Spatial Data Features tasks?  Two more questions to ask you: (i)  What is Import and Export Data (32-bit)/Import and Export Data (64-bit) for? (ii) Can Microfost SQL Server Compact program do the Spatial Data Features?

Please kindly help, answer my 3 questions and respond again.

Many Thanks again,

Scott Chang 

P. S.  I also checked the folder of Microsft Visual Studio in my PC, and I saw Visual Studio 2012 Shell (Integrated). Can I use Visual Studio 2012 Shell (Integrated) coupled with SSMS2012 (or SQL Server Data Tools) to do the Spatial Data Features tasks? 

• Edited by Scott H Chang Friday, September 11, 2015 1:09 PM

Ops...

Thanks Patrick

>> Spatial Data

First... as Patrick notice, I mad a mistake reading your question, I talked about "Special features" in general and not "Spatial data" in particular, but since Spatial are features, my response was relevant :-)

Secondly, Spatial Data is supported by SQL Server EXPRESS and you do not need a paid version to start learning this feature (the image that I attach is from SQL Server EXPRESS 2008r2). This is not a unique feature exactly but more of a unique types, as I see it. But in order to learn all SQL Server features, you probably need the dev edition as others mentioned.

>> I am still lost in finding the basic computer software programs to get the Spatial Data Features started.

The SSMS (not the SQL Server) has a nice basic GUI to show Spatial Data. As Erland mentioned just try to execute query and you will see in the result another Tab named "Spatial results" as you can see in this image:

Please check this tutorial. It looks very useful and easy to use. Actually I think it is the best tutorial I have seen so far regarding Spatial Data. I just found it right now in Google, and I did not read it all but just in glance: http://jasonfollas.com/blog/archive/2008/03/14/sql-server-2008-spatial-data-part-1.aspx

>> I checked the folder of Microsoft SQL Server 2012 in my PC that is connected to the Window 7 Network System and I saw the following items:

1. I recommend not to check what installed like this. Next time you can use the SQL Server Configuration Manager for example or the installation manager. The reason is that you found files but theoretically you did not make sure that it is correctly installed. Moreover, people might installed something in different place.

2. These are not relevant to learning Spatial Data :-)

> - Download Microsoft SQL Server Compact

This is a different edition of SQL Server, which does not fits to learn about SQL Server. This application is embedded database. This mean that you can add it (embedded it) into your application. When we develops small applications (games for example) that need database but do not need a server, we embedded database in the application (SQL Server Compact is Microsoft version, and I like to use SQLite as well). For more information you can read this: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17876

>> - Import & Export Data

as the name say :-)
This is SSIS probably: SQL Server Integration Services

>> - SQL Server Data Tools

You can read more here.

>> - SQL Server 2012 Management Studio

This is not the SQL Server, but a tool which come with the SQL Server. It can be download together as one file or separately... for example on your laptop you can installed SSMS without SQL Server... Then you can use the SSMS to connect servers, which are on different machines. We use it in order to connect the SQL Server. SQL Server does not have any GUI. So how can we execute queries?!? You can use your own application to connect the server, or you can use Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, which is what all DBAs use. 

* you can see if SQL Server is installed and what is the Instance name using the services list:
run --> services.msc 
search service named "SQL Server". In the Brackets you can see the instance name.

>> I clicked on the SQL Server Data Tools and I got Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Shell that had SSIS Toolbox.  Is this SQL Server Data Tools/Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Shell right place plus SSMS2012 for me to do/launch the Spatial Data Features tasks?

No :-)
This is not relevant to Spatial Data

Spatial Data are basically just types of data, like we have XML, we have Geometry and Geography types, which are Spatial Data. Read the tutorial that I linked above! It is very good to understand everything.

You do not need any unique application in order to work with Spatial Data. You can use the same application that you execute other queries. As mentioned above SSMS include nice GUI to show the Spatial Data virtually.

I hope this give you all that you need :-)
Check the tutorial for more inform