SQL Server Management Studio

I'm working in SQL Server Management Studio (SMSS) this afternoon. All of my previous SQL Server work has been done from within Visual Studio. There are some nice features in SSMS:

• Query window uses IntelliSense to assist in writing code.
• Individual queries can be highlighted within the window and executed.
• Easy access to lots of administrative tasks.
• Integrated Object Explorer window that is similar to VS. It allows for some useful filtering. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can browse to specific objects to create simple scripts in the query editor. These can then be easily edited.
• Enable "Execution Plan" in order to create additional tab in query results window that will give the developer detailed information regarding query performance... cool.
  
• Immediate feedback on executed queries. Just click the "Messages" tab on the query results window and you will see the number of rows affected and any pertinent errors.

The Execution Plan results

The Messages tab in the query results window