# can I administrate a ms sql server 2005 database with management studio 2008? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895 "2009-02-15T01:33:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895/1 "2009-02-15T01:33:17Z")
This may be a dumb question. My excuse is I’m not a trained DB admin. At work we have a server running an ms sql 2005 database. I use ms sql server management studio express 2005 to access it, but could I just as easilly use the 2008 edition? Would it be safe, and not try to “do 2008 things to 2005 server and break it”? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895/2 "2009-02-15T04:10:15Z")
Yes you can. I admin SQL 2000 with it too. I believe it just simply won’t let you do 2008-specific things with it. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895/3 "2009-02-15T04:14:27Z")
Brilliant. That’ll be something for me to do tomorrow at work… uninstall 2005 and install 2008. there might be little or no difference (I don’t know) but I like to have the latest stuff. I’m like that. On a seperate note I installed server 2008 express on my home computer and after some messing about I’ve managed to access it via php and a codegear c++ builder application. Having it at home should be useful for learning to use it. ---
**Author:** ![TheDerf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@TheDerf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheDerf)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895/4 "2009-02-15T12:49:32Z")
administrate? GAH! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895/5 "2009-02-15T17:20:39Z")
> [@TheDerf](#): > > administrate? GAH! Well I used the word to make what I do sound all important. Are you saying that MSSQLMSE isn’t a great tool for administrating? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895/6 "2009-02-15T23:19:16Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Are you saying that MSSQLMSE isn’t a great tool for administrating? Correct. It is, however, quite good for database administration. ---
**Author:** ![tetranz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@tetranz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetranz)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895/7 "2009-02-16T02:19:14Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Yes you can. I admin SQL 2000 with it too. > > I believe it just simply won’t let you do 2008-specific things with it. One thing you lose with the 2008 studio and a 2000 db is the current activity monitor. I think it’s okay if the db is 2005. I discovered that on Friday when I installed the 2008 client tools, thought everything was good so uninstalled the 2005 tools. I like to look at the activity on our 2000 db sometimes so I guess I’ll be reinstalling the 2005 studio tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895/8 "2009-02-16T03:04:40Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Yes you can. I admin SQL 2000 with it too. > > I believe it just simply won’t let you do 2008-specific things with it. You must not be managing any DTS packages. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895/9 "2009-02-16T03:31:56Z")
There’s a stand-alone package called DTS designer that you can use to manage DTS packages from legacy versions of SQL Server. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895/10 "2009-02-19T14:31:05Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > There’s a stand-alone package called DTS designer that you can use to manage DTS packages from legacy versions of SQL Server. We fight ignorance here. Can you show me a link to that? If you’re talking about DTS Designer Components; um yeah; good luck with that. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-administrate-a-ms-sql-server-2005-database-with-management-studio-2008/485895/11 "2009-02-25T20:29:45Z")
That is what I was talking about, the designer components. I have not used them and was not aware that they were less than reliable.