Connect to SQL Server and prepare Northwind

Connect to SQL Server in SSMS, prepare Northwind, and make room for your warehouse. Use the server address and account from your setup record.

Connect in SSMS

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio. In the connection dialog, enter the actual Server Name for your setup.

   Where SQL Server runs	Example address
   On this computer	localhost\ACLAB for the example named instance. Use your actual instance name.
   On another Windows computer on the LAN	TRAINING-PC\ACLAB, or tcp:TRAINING-PC,1433 when that is the administrator's confirmed port. Replace both the computer name and port with the real values.

   localhost always means the computer running SSMS. Port 1433 is an example, not a guarantee; use the server's configured port.

2. Choose the sign-in method that your SQL administrator supplied. Windows Authentication uses your Windows account. SQL Server Authentication uses a SQL login and password. Keep encryption enabled and use the name covered by the server's trusted certificate. Leave Trust Server Certificate cleared unless the isolated local-server exception applies. Select Connect.
3. Select New Query. In the query editor's database dropdown, select master for this initial server check. Selecting a database in Object Explorer does not change an already-open query window. Run this read-only query with Execute or F5:

   SELECT @@SERVERNAME AS ServerName,
          DB_NAME() AS DatabaseName,
          ORIGINAL_LOGIN() AS LoginName,
          CAST(SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion') AS nvarchar(128)) AS EngineVersion,
          1 AS ConnectionTest;

4. Check that the result shows the expected server and login, DatabaseName = master and ConnectionTest = 1. SQL Server 2019 has major version 15; later releases have higher major versions. Record the result. This confirms the server connection; it does not yet confirm that Northwind is ready.

Microsoft's SSMS connection guide explains the current dialogs. Its server-address reference explains instance names and TCP addresses.

Prepare the Northwind sample

Northwind contains sample customers, orders, products and order lines. This guide uses Microsoft's SQL Server sample. Use the supplied guarded loader below, which refuses to replace existing objects.

5. In Object Explorer, expand Databases and look for Northwind. If your administrator has already provided a tutorial copy, leave its contents unchanged and go to Check Northwind. Do not reload an existing database merely because its name matches.
6. If Northwind is missing, right-click Databases, select New Database, enter Northwind and select OK. Use an isolated tutorial database. If an unrelated or shared database already uses that name, ask the administrator for an isolated instance; do not delete or replace it.
7. Use the tutorial setup account to load the sample. It must be able to create and populate the sample tables, views and procedures in this database, with default schema dbo. Your SQL administrator can provide this access. Later source connections need read access only.
8. Download 01-load-northwind.sql. Open it in a fresh SSMS query window and select Northwind in that window's database dropdown. Read the file's opening checks, then run the entire file. Do not select and run only part of it.

   The loader accepts only an empty database named Northwind. It creates and fills the sample inside one transaction. It does not create the database or replace an existing sample.

   Expected result: Northwind sample loaded. Run 02-check-northwind.sql next.

Check Northwind

9. Open 02-check-northwind.sql in a fresh SSMS query window. Select Northwind in the query dropdown and run the whole file. It reads the tutorial data without changing permanent tables; no replacements are needed.

   Expected result: the four table checks show PASS and the final result begins PASS: keys, selected values, counts and totals match the supplied sample. The checks cover the tutorial columns in Customers, Orders, Products and Order Details. They do not certify every column of every Northwind table.

   Table	Rows in this sample
   Customers	91
   Orders	830
   Products	77
   Order Details	2,155

   Save the results in your working folder. These counts belong to the supplied sample, not every database called Northwind.

10. Confirm that the account you will use in AnalyticsCreator can read the Northwind tables. Keep this sample unchanged during the tutorial so the later warehouse comparison uses the same source.

Prepare the separate warehouse databases

The Northwind source, saved warehouse settings, design database and deployed warehouse have different jobs. Use these names for a new tutorial setup, or record agreed unused alternatives where indicated.

11. Choose NorthwindTutorial as the warehouse design name and have the SQL administrator confirm that the two generated names above are unused. Reserve them without creating empty databases. If resuming an existing tutorial design, record its actual settings database instead.
12. On the intended warehouse server in SSMS, right-click Databases and select New Database. Create NorthwindWarehouse only if that name is unused. If it contains existing work, choose a different unused name and record it. Do not empty another database for this tutorial.
13. Open a fresh query window on that server. Select NorthwindWarehouse, or your recorded destination name, in the database dropdown. Run this read-only check:

    SELECT @@SERVERNAME AS ServerName, DB_NAME() AS DatabaseName,
           ORIGINAL_LOGIN() AS LoginName;
    SELECT COUNT_BIG(*) AS UserTables
    FROM sys.tables WHERE is_ms_shipped = 0;

    Expected result: the intended warehouse server/database and UserTables = 0. Ask the administrator to confirm the database is empty and the loading account can create schemas/tables and load data; a zero visible-table count alone does not prove those permissions.

14. Arrange permission for AnalyticsCreator to create its settings/design databases on the selected server. Record the folder on that server where SQL Server stores database files. The administrator can provide it, or run this read-only query in SSMS while connected to that server:

    SELECT CAST(SERVERPROPERTY('InstanceDefaultDataPath') AS nvarchar(4000))
           AS ServerDatabaseFileFolder;

    If the result is blank, ask the administrator for the correct folder. This server-side location is different from the local folder for generated loading files.

15. Update the setup record with the source, design name, reserved settings/design database names, empty destination, accounts and server-side folder. If the databases are on different servers, test and record each connection from the Windows loading computer too.

If the connection fails

1. Compare the server address with the administrator's record. For a LAN connection, check that both computers are on the intended local network. Being on another network can prevent access, but being on the same network does not guarantee a working SQL connection.
2. Have the administrator confirm the SQL service is running, TCP/IP is enabled where needed, the listening port is correct and the firewall allows the tutorial computer. An explicit server/port can avoid reliance on SQL Browser discovery. See Microsoft's SQL Server firewall guide.
3. Check the sign-in method and account. Windows authentication on the LAN depends on your account/domain setup; use the account arranged by the administrator. Your AnalyticsCreator account is separate from the SQL Server login.
4. Repeat Connect in SSMS after correcting the problem. Keep the first full error message without passwords.

If the certificate is not trusted

1. For a shared or LAN server, ask its administrator to correct the certificate, server name or trust chain. Keep encryption enabled.
2. Only for an isolated local tutorial server with a self-signed certificate, confirm the server identity and select Trust Server Certificate for that connection. This keeps encryption but skips certificate validation. Record the exception and use the same choice when testing that local source in AnalyticsCreator.

If Northwind preparation fails

1. If the loader reports the wrong database or existing objects, stop and check the selected database. Keep the guard in place. A ready Northwind copy needs the read-only check, not another load.
2. If the initial load fails, save the first error and close the failed query connection. Open a fresh connection and inspect the isolated tutorial database. Correct the reported problem and rerun the whole loader only if that database is empty.
3. If objects remain or the sample check fails, keep the existing data and ask the SQL administrator to inspect the tutorial copy. Do not delete a shared source or change values to force a match.

The downloadable SQL is based on Microsoft's pinned Northwind sample. Its source and license record explains the guarded adaptation.