Important Documentation & Download Links


SQL Server product documentation (with links back to SQL Server 2005)
(always look for the “What’s New” section when a new version arrives)

Transact-SQL Reference (Database Engine)

SQL Server product homepage

Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server

Hardware and Software Requirements for Installing SQL Server

Power BI product documentation

See also: Microsoft SQL Server Version List
(“Lists all of the know Service Packs, Cumulative Updates, Patches, Hotfixes, and
other builds of SQL Server back to SQL Server 6.0)

Power BI Desktop (updates released almost monthly)

Power BI Report Server (updates released about every 3-4 months)

Power BI Report Builder

Power BI Gateway Standard Mode | Personal Mode

SQL Server 2022 Developer Edition download (and Express Edition)

SQL Server Management Studio download, currently 20.2. Make sure you read the Release Notes.

You may choose to install or stay with 19.3 (OK, 19.3.4.0 released January 10, 2024) or one of the other previous releases. For some time now Azure Data Studio is now automatically installed alongside but no longer in the 20.x series.

SQL Server Reporting Services

SSRS 2019SSRS 2017

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2017 Feature Pack

SQL Server Mobile Report Publisher download (going away)

Microsoft Report Builder

AdventureWorks sample databases (this page has links to both .bak files and script files, and, OLTP and DW versions of Adventureworks, and multiple versions as well!)

Wide World Importers sample database v1.0

Microsoft Contoso BI Demo Dataset for Retail Industry
(published 2010, .bak and .abf files; lots of rows too)
A fictitious retail demo dataset used for presenting Microsoft Business Intelligence products.

See also Jeremy Kadlec’s “SQL Server Download Quick Links” found at MSSQLTips

Visual Studio downloads and homepage
What about SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) for Visual Studio?

Azure Feature Pack for Integration Services (SSIS)

Azure Data Studio download

Azure Storage Explorer

Adventureworks sample databases (GitHub)

WideWorldImporters sample databases (quite a number of resources, on GitHub)