How to Customize SQL Server Management Studio via Switches

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) can be customized by using "switches" - little things added after the executable in the path to the file. Technically these are called "command line switches" and they are very common in most applications.

Here's a great one for SSMS: Right click on your shortcut to the SQL Server Management Studio (either in your SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2008 start menu folder) and append -nosplash at the end of the filename.

• For SQL Server 2005, your "Target" probably looks like this: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\Binn\VSShell\Common7\IDE\SqlWb.exe"
• For SQL Server 2008, you're likely to see "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\VSShell\Common7\IDE\Ssms.exe"

To use -nosplash, just put it at the end of the "Target" - like this:

• "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\VSShell\Common7\IDE\Ssms.exe" -nosplash

Now, whenever you launch SSMS you will no longer see the "splash" screen that says SQL Server!

There are many, many more customizations - and I use five of them consistently:

• "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\VSShell\Common7\IDE\Ssms.exe" -S branford -E d:\VariousQueries.sql -d LIFTest -nosplash

1. The "-S" tells it to auto-connect to the server BRANFORD. Tip: Make sure you leave a space between -S and the server/instance name!
2. The "-E" says to use Windows Authentication to connect
3. The "-d" says to log me into the LIFTest database
4. The "d:\VariousQueries.sql " is a file that is auto-loaded

Now I don't have to tell it what server, what database, what files - it does it all automatically!

If you want to play around, all you have to do is to locate the SSMS icon, right click on it and select "Properties", then append some bogus/fake switch (try -TYTYT). That's a fake switch - the reason to use a "fake" switch is that you'll receive a prompt with the correct switches and their meanings.