This tutorial is going to show you how to install SQL Server express 2017 on Windows 10. As a GIS specialist, I need a reliable database server for my GIS spatial database. I have been using MySQL Server and PostgreSQL for sometimes. But, I never install Microsoft SQL Server as my main database server. But today, I decided to start installing the latest SQL Server 2017 on my Windows 10. Well, there are some reasons why I am installing SQL Server 2017 on Windows 10. First, I don’t have Windows Server on my network. The second reason is that I use Windows 10 on my laptop, so I think it will be a benefit if I install it on my Windows 10 laptop.
Okay, so that is my background why I am going to write something about SQL Server installation. I know there are thousands of tutorial to install SQL Server 2017 on Windows 10. And I also refer to some of them and re-write it here on this article. The SQL Server Express edition is free and it supports database max size 10 GB.
Steps to Install SQL Server Express 2017 on Windows 10
Step 1. Download the SQL Server 2017 Installation file
Navigate to this download link and select the preferred language. This is the official Microsoft download website. You will have a file SQLServer2017-SSEI-Expr.exe.
Step 2 Install the Binary package
Double click the file you downloaded from the step above. Now let’s start with the installation process. In the first step, we need to choose the installation type. In this example, I choose Basic.
Accept the license agreement
Now provide the installation location. Leave it as is to use the default location.
Now click Install button to start the installation. Please note that it will download some files from the internet. So, make sure you have a working internet connection.
Wait until the download process is completed. Next, the following window will open up
Click New SQL Server Standalone installation or add features to an existing installation. The installation wizard will open up. First, let’s accept the license term.
It is recommended to enable the automatic update together with Microsoft update.
The installer will check some stuffs and make sure there is no error shown on this page. If you see any errors, you will need to resolve the errors to continue installing SQL Server Express.
Click Next and we need to choose which features we want to install. In most cases, the default settings are good enough. I recommend not to change this unless you know what you are doing.
Specify the named instance and Instance ID.
Next
Now it’s time to configure the database engine. Specify the authentication mode and administrator for the database engine.
Click next to start the installation
Make sure there is no error during installation. Once the installation completed, we can start using our new SQL Server Express or we can also configure it for other purposes.
Open SQL Server Configuration Manager to configure the new server.
It is also recommended to install SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio), a great SQL Server tool for Windows 10.
Conclusion
Installing SQL Server Express 2017 on Windows 10 is not so complicated. By default, the SQL Server Express only allow local connection. We need to configure it if you want to access the server remotely. Finally, thanks for reading this How to install sql server express 2017 on Windows 10.
