SQL Server 2005 Express SP-2 Available

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP-2 is available for download, which means the free edition, SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP-2 is also available for free download. The BOL has also been updated, as well as SQL Server Management Studio Express, the samples, and SQL Server 2005 Feature Pack. All of these are free downloads available from links on the same page as I listed above.

The SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is 36.5 MB, the SQL Server Management Studio Express is 43.1 MB, and the BOL is 135.0 MB. Hopefully, you have broadband, not dial-up Internet access.

Video Series: SQL Server 2005 Express

Want to learn how to use the free SQL Server 2005 Express Edition? Microsoft's MSDN has 13 free videos for beginners to learn SQL Server 2005 Express. It's not just short clips, either. It's a total of nearly nine hours of instruction to help you learn to build databases and manage them, and to connect to them from other applications. The tutorials are geared for beginner level database administrators, so don't worry if you don't already have some experience.

SQL Server Management Studio Express

Use the free SQL Server Management Studio Express to administer the free SQL Server 2005 Express Edition.

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is a free, redistributable version of SQL Server 2005. It's easy to use and designed for building simple data-driven applications needing up to 4 GB of data, but scalable so that it can easily be upgraded to the more advanced versions of Microsoft SQL Server 2005. The SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is the replacement for the Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE), which won't be supported on the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. Runs on Windows.

SQL Server 2005 Books Online

Get the definitive documentation for SQL Server 2005: SQL Server 2005 Books Online. (AKA the BOL.) Applies to SQL Server 2005 Express Edition also. It's a free download from Microsoft.

SQL Server 2005 Virtual Lab

Thinking about upgrading your skills to SQL Server 2005? Try out Microsoft's free online SQL Server 2005 Virtual Lab. Get free training in the lab with 90-minute blocks of time. Yes. Even those 90-minute blocks of time are free, and if you need more time to complete a training module, just request another free 90-minute block.