An Ultimate SQL Server Developer Edition Download Manual

The SQL Server comes with various editions to ease the tasks of developers and database administrators. One of these editions is the developer’s edition in SQL Server. With this guide, we will learn about the SQL Server developer edition download requirements and the process for efficient installation and use of this SQL Server edition. 

But before jumping to the installation process, why don’t we learn a little about the edition for better understanding?

More About SQL Server Developer Edition

As we know, the Microsoft SQL Server comes with various editions like the Enterprise edition, the Standard edition, the Developer edition, and the Express edition. The one we will be discussing here is the SQL Server Developer edition. 

The Developer edition is a free, feature-rich edition of MSSQL Server that is especially designed for developing and testing operations. This edition comprises several features of the Enterprise edition, like the advanced performance tuning capabilities, security features, and data integration features. The most common users for this edition are the software developers, database administrators who work primarily with design, development, and testing in the database. The components included with the SQL Server developer edition download are as follows:

• SQL Server Database Engine
• SSIS – SQL Server Integration Services
• SSRS – SQL Server Reporting Services
• SSAS – SQL Server Analysis Services
• TDE – Transparent Data Encryption
• Always On Availability Groups

And many more. Even after having all these strong features within, the developer edition is still not permitted to be used in the live production environment. Using this edition for any of the restricted purposes violates Microsoft’s licensing agreement. 

This is a general overview of the developer’s edition. We will now take a look at why there is a requirement for the SQL Server developer edition download. 

Why Switch to SQL Server Developer Edition?

There are several benefits and use cases of switching to the Developer edition. We will take a look at these reasons one by one for a better understanding of this migration. 

• The SQL Developer edition includes all the features of the SQL Server Enterprise edition, like TDE, SSIS, SSRS, etc., and allows the database administrators and developers to benefit from them. 
• This edition offers an ideal environment for development and testing purposes. Furthermore, it helps with the database performance tuning, script testing, etc. 
• Being a feature-rich edition and providing the optimal environment for testing, the developer edition can be considered a safe option for learning.
• The SQL Server developer edition also helps users with testing the upgrades and migration operations on a testing environment. This reduces the risk of damage to the crucial data during the process. 

With all these benefits, it becomes clear why switching to this edition is beneficial for the users. We will now proceed with the process for installing the developer edition. Let’s assume the user wishes to download SQL Server 2019 Developer Edition. 

Step-By-Step Process For SQL Server Developer Edition Download

1. The first step to download the developer edition is to go to the official page of Microsoft using the given link:
   https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads
   Or download the edition directly.
2. The file will download with this name: SQL2019-SSEI-Dev.exe on your device. 
3. Run the downloaded file and then select the installation type from Basic or Custom.
4. In the installation wizard, accept the license terms and conditions.
5. Set the download path for installing the setup. 
6. Click on the Install button to download SQL Server 2019 Developer Edition.

After the SQL Server developer edition download is completed, it is recommended to install the SQL Server Management Studio as well. To check whether the SQL Server 2019 Developer edition is working properly, database administrators can run the server on SSMS and verify its functionality.  The steps to download and use SSMS are as follows:

1. Visit the official Microsoft Store to install SSMS.
2. Open SSMS and connect it to the new instance.
3. Verify the functioning of the SQL Server 2019 Developer Edition.

So far, we have learned the entire process to download SQL Server 2019 Developer edition and verify it’s working. Now, we will examine how users can efficiently migrate their data from the previous version to the new SQL Server edition. 

Effectively Copy Data To SQL Server Developer Edition

When it comes to migrating data from one version to another, users often struggle to understand and trust the process entirely. This is why we bring here a professional solution that will help the users migrate data from their SQL database to the Developer Edition after the SQL Server Developer Edition download. The solution we suggest is the SQL Server Database Migration Tool. 

This solution is helpful and efficient for migrating the entire data from one server to another desired server. The steps for using this solution are as follows:

1. Install and launch the expert solution.
   
   
2. Select one from Online Mode or Offline Mode and then add the required credentials.
   
   
3. A scan will take place. After the scan, preview the loaded data in the software panel.
   
   
4. Click on the Export button and then add the authentication details of the new server.
   
   
5. Choose the data to be migrated to the new database and then click on the Export Button.
   
   

With the help of these steps, one can efficiently migrate data from SQL database to SQL Server Developer edition as per the user’s requirements. This guide helps you efficiently carry out the entire download of the developer edition and further copy the desired data as the user’s need. 

Conclusion

In this technical write-up, we have learned the need for SQL Server developer edition download and also the steps that’d help the users carry out the entire process efficiently. We have also discussed the best possible method that will allow the users to migrate the desired data from their previous database to the SQL Server developer edition to carry out the necessary operations.