Logging In to SQL Server

You can log in to an instance of Microsoft® SQL Server™ by using any of the graphical administration tools or from a command prompt.

When you log in to an instance of SQL Server using a graphical administration tool such as SQL Server Enterprise Manager or SQL Query Analyzer, you are prompted to supply the server name, a login ID, and a password, if necessary. How you log in to an instance of SQL Server depends on whether SQL Server is using Windows Authentication or mixed mode (SQL Server Authentication and Windows Authentication). If SQL Server is using Windows Authentication, you do not have to provide a login ID each time you access a registered SQL Server. Instead, SQL Server logs you in automatically using your Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0 or Windows® 2000 account.

Note  If you selected a case-sensitive sort order when you installed SQL Server, your login ID is also case-sensitive.

To log in to SQL Server