If you are a beginner and want to know how to install SQL Server 2019 Express on Windows 10 step-by-step, then follow this simple tutorial.
Additionally, I have covered how to install sql server Management Studio 2019 on Windows 10 which allows you to work with databases visually. After completing this tutorial, you will be able to install
SQL Server 2019 Express
Before installing SQL Server Express, we will discuss what the SQL Server 2019 Express edition is and why we should use it.
- SQL Server 2019 Express is a free edition of SQL Server mainly designed for small-scale web servers and desktop applications.
- Express edition is suitable for people who do not have robust hardware and want to learn and experience SQL server environments.
- SQL Server 2019 Express is a great choice for small vendors and developers. Although the free edition has limited features, it can be upgraded according to requirements.
Is SQL Server Express 2019 Free?
SQL Server Express 2019 is free for developers who want to use the features and functionality of SQL Server without paying any charges. You do not need a paid license to use it for development and testing.
Read: How to Create a Database in SQL Server 2019
SQL Server 2019 Developer Edition vs Express Edition
Below are the differences between SQL Server Developer Edition and SQL Server Express Edition.
| Developer Edition | Express Edition |
|---|---|
| It has all the features which are available in the Enterprise edition. But, it cannot be used for the production environment. | It can be used in the production environment. |
| The Developer edition is suitable for developers of all levels (beginner to Professionals). | Express Edition is suitable for students and entry-level developers. |
| Not suitable for Production environment. | The Express edition can be used in a production environment, but, with limited storage, memory, and computing power |
| Multiple users can use the same database concurrently. | Multiple users cannot use the same instance concurrently. But if you want a multiuser environment, you have to create multiple instances. |
SQL Server 2019 Express Advantages
Below are the SQL Server 2019 Express advantages.
- SQL Server Express is free and can be installed on n number of systems.
- This Express Edition is lightweight to run on a machine due to its very low requirement of resources.
- SQL Server can be upgraded to the Developer edition by purchasing the subscription.
- Few features are provided for free in SQL Express for which users have to pay extra if they use it externally.
- SQL Server Express 2019 provides security implementations that are not expected from this lightweight and free software.
SQL Server 2019 Express Limitations
All the applications have both advantages and disadvantages. Here are a few limitations of sql server 2019 Express Edition.
- SQL Server 2019 Express Edition has fewer features than Developer or Enterprise Edition.
- You cannot scale it for free. You have to upgrade it to Developer of Enterprise edition to get the scalability feature.
- The lack of SQL Agent results in the absence of various background services like automatic backup, scheduling the jobs, managing user permissions, and monitoring databases.
Installation Requirements to Install SQL Server Express 2019
In this section, we will learn about the Hardware and Software requirements to install SQL Express Edition on Windows 10.
| Hardware & Software | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Processor | All these processors must be 64-bit: AMD Athlon 64, AMD Opteron, Intel Xeon with Intel EM64T support, Intel Pentium IV with EM64T support |
| The minimum memory required is 512 MB. Recommended memory is 1 GB or above. | |
| Memory Requirement | A minimum of 6 GB of secondary memory is required for installation. |
| Hard Disk Requirement | Minimum 6 GB of secondary memory is required for installation. |
| Operating System | Windows 10 TH1 1507 or greater Windows Server 2016 or greater |
| Others | .NET Framework |
How to Install SQL Server 2019 Express on Windows 10
In this section, we will learn how to install SQL Server 2019 Express on a Windows machine with examples and pictures.
To Install SQL Server 2019 Express on Windows 10, follow the below steps.
- Download the SQL Server Express Edition executable file from the Official Microsoft Website.
- Once downloaded, select the installation type as Basic.
3. Click Accept and continue to the next step.
4. A default instance will be created by the SQL Server.
5. Clicking on Customize allows us to create our own customized instance. Otherwise, click on the Connect Now button to connect to the SQL server selected instance.
6. The SQL terminal will be opened. Now, you can run the SQL queries on the command prompt.
7. From the above output, you can see that you are now connected to the SQL Server Express Edition 2019. To verify that, if you see something like this, 1> it means you are connected.
Conclusion
In this SQL Server tutorial, you learned how to install SQL Server Express Edition 2019 and the difference between the developer and express editions. You also learned about the express edition’s advantages and limitations.
You may like the SQL Server articles:
- How to export data from SQL Server to Excel
- View line numbers in SQL Server Management Studio
- How to execute function in SQL with parameters
I am Bijay having more than 15 years of experience in the Software Industry. During this time, I have worked on MariaDB and used it in a lot of projects. Most of our readers are from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc.
Want to learn MariaDB? Check out all the articles and tutorials that I wrote on MariaDB. Also, I am a Microsoft MVP.
