How to Check Whether Sql Server Is Installed or Not
In this SQL Server tutorial, we will learn How to check if SQL Server is running or not. We will also discuss how we can check the status of different SQL Server services like an agent, browser, etc. And we will also illustrate the following topics given below.
- How to check if SQL Server is installed
- How to check if SQL Server is running command line
- How to check if SQL Server is running windows 10
- How to check if SQL Server agent is running
- How to check if SQL Server browser is running
- How to check if SQL Server is running ubuntu
- How to check if SQL Server agent job is running
- How to check if SQL Server is running on a remote computer
Note:- For all the demonstrations in the tutorial, we are using SQL Server 2019 Express edition and SQL Server Management Studio. Now, if you want to install the same, you can refer to How to install SQL Server 2019 Express.
How to check if SQL Server is installed
Before checking the status regarding SQL Server service, first, let's understand how to check if a SQL Server is installed successfully or not.
Now, wherever we install any of the SQL Server editions, some files are automatically added to our file system. Additionally, it makes some entries in the registry and also installs some server tools.
Now to check if the SQL Server is installed successfully, we have to follow the following given steps.
- First, click on Start, and look for the "Microsoft SQL Server" directory in all programs.
- Next, expand the "Microsoft SQL Server" directory and open the "SQL Server Configuration Manager".
Note:- If you do not find SQL Server Configuration Manager or Microsoft SQL Server directory. Then it means SQL Server is not installed properly.
- In the SQL Server Configuration Manager, from the left pane select SQL Server Services. Now, some services will appear in the right pane.
- Now, if the SQL Server Database Engine is successfully installed in your system then, a Database Engine will appear in the list of services. And the name of the Database engine will be in format "SQL Server (<instance_name>)".
Read: How to get list of users in SQL Server
How to check if SQL Server is running windows 10
In the previous section, we discussed how to check if the SQL Server is installed or not. Next, let's understand how to hack if SQL Server is running in Windows 10.
For this implementation, follow the following given steps.
- Go to start menu and run the "SQL Server Configuration Manager" application.
- In the SQL Server Configuration Manager, from the left pane select SQL Server Services. Now, some services will appear in the right pane.
- Now, each service in the right pane will have some icon. If the service have green triangle icon then, it means the service is running. And if a red square icon appears then, it means the service is stopped (Not running).
- Now, if you want to use the database, then the Database engine should be in the running mode. And if it is not in running mode then right click the service and click on "Start" option.
Note:- The Database engine service has the following name format "SQL Server (<instance_name>)".
Read: What is a stored procedure in sql server
How to check if SQL Server is running command line
This section will discuss how to check if the SQL Server is running using the command prompt.
Now, the simplest way to implement this task is to use the SQLCMD. The SQLCMD is a command-line utility for SQL Server, and it will be automatically installed when we install SQL Server 2014 or later version.
For the implementation of this task, we have to follow the following steps that are given below.
- First, open the command prompt, and execute the following command to connect to your SQL Server instance.
SQLCMD -S server_name\instance_name - Now, if you have connected to your instance successfully then it means your SQL Server instance is in running mode.
- Next, let's execute a simple query to check if there is no issue in the database engine service.
SELECT @@VERSION GO This command will return the version of your SQL Server instance. The example of this whole implementation is shown below.
Now, there is one more to check whether the SQL Server is running using cmd and for this method, we need to execute the following command in the command prompt.
Wmic service where (PathName like '%Binn\\sqlservr%') get caption, name, startmode, state This command basically searches for the SQL Server service and returns the status if found. Here is an example with its output.
In the example, you can easily notice that the state of the SQL Server service is running.
Also Read: Stored procedure for search functionality in SQL Server
How to check if SQL Server agent is running
In this section, we will understand how to check the state of a SQL Server component with the name Agent.
- A SQL Server Agent is a component of a SQL Server instance, and it is used to schedule or execute administrative tasks in SQL Server also known as jobs.
- These jobs consist of one or more than one job step and each job consists of its own task.
- A SQL Server Agent uses the SQL Server to store the information related to the job. But, by default the agent service is disabled when we install SQL Server.
Now, let's understand how we can check if a SQL Server Agent is running or not. And the simplest way to check the agent service status is by using SQL Server Configuration Manager. And follow the following steps.
- Start the SQL Server Configuration Manager, and select the "SQL Server Services" option from the left pane. It will list the SQL Server services in the right pane.
- Next, in the right pane, the agent service will appear in the list as SQL Server Agent ( < instance_name > ).
- Now, if the agent service is having the green triangle icon then it means the agent service is in the running mode. And if it is having a red square icon then it means the service is not running.
- If the agent service is not running, we can start the service by right-clicking the service and click on "Properties".
- Next, under the "Service" section change the start mode from "Disabled" to "Automatic".
- Again right-click the service and click on "Start".
Using Transact-SQL
Now, there is another way to check the status of an SQL Server Agent and in this approach, we will use Transact-SQL. For this implementation, we will query the sys.dm_server_services view. This view contains the information related to SQL Server and its services including SQL Server Agent.
Here is a simple query that we can use to get the state of an Agent service.
SELECT [servicename], [status_desc], [startup_type] FROM sys.dm_server_services WHERE [servicename] LIKE N'SQL Server Agent (%'; In the above query, we are using the WHERE clause to find the SQL Server Agent service. Additionally, we have select 3 columns from the view to display the service and its status. Here is a sample output.
Read: Try catch in SQL Server stored procedure
How to check SQL Server browser is running
The SQL Server Browser is also a service in SQL Server but, it is only available with Windows operating system. The SQL Server Browser provides the following services.
- It helps in listing all the available servers.
- It also helps in connecting to a correct server instance.
- It is also used in connecting to a DAC (Dedicated Administrator Connection).
Now, let's see how we can check if a SQL Server Browser is running or not. And the easiest way to check the browser service state is by using SQL Server Configuration Manager. And follow the following steps.
- Start the SQL Server Configuration Manager, and select the "SQL Server Services" option from the left pane. It will list the SQL Server services in the right pane.
- Next, in the right pane, the browser service will appear in the list as SQL Server Browser.
- Now, if the browser service is having the green triangle icon then it means the agent service is in the running mode. And if it is having a red square icon then it means the service is not running.
- But, by default, the SQL Server Browser service starts automatically in Windows.
How to check if SQL Server agent job is running
In this section, we will learn how to check if a SQL Server Agent job is running or not. Now, there are multiple ways to check if the agent's job is running and in this section, we will discuss two ways to execute this task and get the result.
- Using SQL Server Management Studio
- Using Transact-SQL
Note:- The SQL Server Agent does not work in SQL Server Express Edition. So, these steps will work for SQL Server editions other than express.
Using SQL Server Management Studio
- First, start SQL Server Management Studio and move to Object Explorer.
- In the Object Explorer, expand the SQL Server Agent option.
- Next, right-click the Job Activity Monitor and click on the "View Job Activity" option.
- With this, we can easily view the details related to each job that is defined for your server.
Using Transact-SQL
Another method to check the state of an agent is by using the sp_help_jobactivity stored procedure. This stored procedure stores information related to SQL Server Agent jobs. Here is the query that we can use to execute the required task.
USE msdb ; GO EXEC dbo.sp_help_jobactivity ; GO By executing the above code, we will get a resultset that contains information related to each SQL Server Agent job.
Read: SQL Server stored procedure parameters
How to check if SQL Server is running ubuntu
Till now, we have understood how to verify the SQL Server services are running on the Windows operating system. Now, in this section, we will understand and learn how to check if SQL Server is running on a ubuntu operating system.
So, after successfully installing the SQL Server in ubuntu, we simply need to run the following command.
systemctl status mssql-server Now, this command will return the state of the SQL Server service. So, if the SQL Server is running then it will show the service status as active(running).
Read: How to select latest record in SQL Server
How to check if SQL Server is running on a remote computer
In this section, we will discuss how to check if a SQL Server instance is connected to a remote computer. For this implementation, we will verify the remote connection by executing 2 tasks.
The first step is to use the ping and check if the remote computer is receiving the request or not. And the second step is by using the telnet command to check if port 1433 is open for connection or not.
So, first, to check the remote connection using ping, we will execute the following command in our command prompt.
ping machine_name The ping command basically used to check if 2 machines can communicate with each other or not. The executed example is shown in the image below.
Next, to check port 1433, we will execute the following telnet command, as shown below.
telnet machine_name 1433 Now, by executing the about command, if the remote machine can communicate over port 1433 then, you see the command prompt with an empty cursor. Here is the example.
You may like reading the following articles.
- SQL Server stored procedure vs function
- SQL Server create stored procedure
- SQL Server stored procedure naming convention
- How to execute stored procedure in SQL Server
- SQL Server check user permissions on table
In this SQL Server tutorial, we have learned How to check SQL Server service is running or not. We have also discussed how we can check the status of different SQL Server services like an agent, browser, etc. And we have also demonstrated the following topics given below.
- How to check if SQL Server is installed
- How to check if SQL Server is running command line
- How to check if SQL Server is running windows 10
- How to check if SQL Server agent is running
- How to check SQL Server browser is running
- How to check if SQL Server is running ubuntu
- How to check if SQL Server agent job is running
- How to check if SQL Server is running on a remote computer
Bijay is a Microsoft MVP since 2014 (7 times+) specialized in SharePoint. He is having more than 14 years of experience in SharePoint and other Microsoft technologies. Bijay is an entrepreneur, a technical blogger, and passionate about driving, wrote tons of articles in his own blogs EnjoySharePoint.com and SPGuides.com, and PythonGuides.com focuses on speaking activities for various user groups. He is the co-founder of TSInfo Technologies, a SharePoint Consulting, Outsourcing, Development, and training company.
During the long 14+ years of professional career, I have used SQL server in lots of projects. Enjoy my SQL Server tutorials.
How to Check Whether Sql Server Is Installed or Not
Source: https://sqlserverguides.com/how-to-check-if-sql-server-is-running/