SQL Server 2025 Express Edition Download, Install and Configure

 Problem

I heard there is a new version of SQL Server Express Edition with the 2025 release. What is new in this edition? Is it hard to install and configure SQL Server 2025 Express Edition?

Solution

In this tip, we will show how to download, install, and configure SQL Server 2025 Express Edition.

What is SQL Server 2025 Express Edition?

SQL Server 2025 Express Edition is the new SQL Server free version that can be used in production environments. In SQL Server, you have several SQL Server editions for Windows (there are Linux installers as well). The most feature rich version for production is Enterprise Edition. The Express Edition has limitations, but it is free. You cannot take advantage of all the features available in the Enterprise and Developer editions, but it is a cost-effective database the companies use for particular use cases.

Why would I use the SQL Server Express Edition?

SQL Server Express Edition is a great free edition with several features that you can use in production for small or distributed workloads. Also, you can start to learn about the database engine with this version, and after some time, upgrade to a more sophisticated edition such as Standard or Enterprise Edition.

How to download SQL Server Express Edition 2025?

First, download the SQL Server edition from the following URL: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads

Secondly, click the Download now option under the SQL Server 2025 Express edition title.

This option will download an installer named SQL2025-SSEI-Expr.exe.  This file is the installer we will use to install the SQL Server Express edition.

Step-by-Step Guide to install SQL Server Express Edition 2025

To install SQL Server Express edition, follow these steps.

First, run the SQL2025-SSEI-Expr.exe.

Second, select the installation option.

The basic configuration will install with the default features and is the faster option. The Custom installation is used to select the features to install. We will use this section to customize our installation. Use the Download Media option if you just want to download the software, but you want to install it later.

Third, you have to select the location to install SQL Server. Press the Browse button if you want to install in a different path than the default one. Once selected, press the install button.

After that, the installer will download the installation package.

SQL Server Installation Center

After downloading the SQL Server Express Edition 2025, a SQL Server Installation Center will pop up. First, click the New SQL Server standalone installation or add features option.

Read and accept the license terms and if you agree proceed with the installation.

Check for updates and press Next.

The installer will check whether your machine meets the requirements for installation. It will check the registries, the ports, and the Firewall configuration. In addition, it will verify if the .NET Framework 4.7.2 or newer is installed.

Installation Type

In addition, you will have the installation type.

You have 2 options here:

• To perform a new installation (or scenario).
• To add features to an existing instance – when you already have SQL Server Express 2025 installed and you want to install additional features not installed at the beginning.

Additionally, you can connect to Azure. In this tip, we will focus on an on-premises SQL Server Express install. If you want to learn more about Azure, refer to this link.

Feature Selection

At this stage, we have the features. Let me explain each one:

• The Database engine is the core of SQL Server to create the database and run queries, control transactions, and security, etc.
• Secondly, we have the SQL Server Replication. It is used to replicate data and database objects from one database to another database on a different server or instance.
• AI Services and Language Extensions are to run Python code or R in T-SQL.
• Full-text and Semantic Extractions are used to create special indexes to search and look for data in text columns or binary data in a database.
• Also, we have PolyBase. It is used to query external data as local tables. For example, you can connect to data in Teradata, MongoDB, or access Parquet, JSON files, and query as if they were local tables.
• Finally, we can install the LocalDB. This is a light database designed for developers to test features and functionality. Additionally, you can select the root directory of your instance.

Once done, you can add an instance name for your instance. Press Next after entering the instance name.

Server Configuration

In the Server Configuration window, you can verify the Accounts created for the service and check the Startup Type for the services. Here you have an explanation for each option:

• Automatic: Starts every time Windows boots and is available automatically.
• Manual: Stays stopped at startup and only starts if a user starts it manually.
• Disabled: It doesn’t start at all, even if a program or a user tries to start it, until it is manually enabled.

The Grant Perform Volume Maintenance Task Privilege is used to increase the performance of creating databases and expand the datafile expansion. In several cases, it can increase the database restoration time and the autogrowth.

However, some data can be exposed with this option. For more information about this topic, refer to this link.

Database Engine Configuration

Following this step, we have the Database Engine Configuration window. You can specify if you want to log in using Windows authentication or Mixed mode (SQL Server logins and Windows logins as well). For security reasons, Windows authentication is the recommended option. You can also create a system administrator (sa user) and set up the password. This option is not recommended either for security reasons.

For more information about Windows authentication and Mixed mode, and as a sa user, refer to these links:

• How to check SQL Server Authentication Mode using T SQL and SSMS
• When not to use the sa password in SQL Server applications

Also, you have the chance to add or remove Administrator users for the database.

After that, you can select the path for the following directories:

• First, the data root directory is the root of all the files (data files, log files, backups, configuration files and folders).
• Secondly, the system database directory is used to store the system databases, like the master, model, tempdb, and msdb.
• Thirdly, we have the user database directory. This is the path where the user data files are created by default.
• Also, we have the database log file directory. This is where the transaction log files are stored. The logs store the transaction information about the transactions in SQL Server, like insert, update, and delete operations.
• Finally, we have the backup directory. We store the backups in that directory.

TempDB Setup

The TempDB page is used to configure the Temporal database (tempdb).  It can be used for operations that require a large amount of memory, also to create temporary tables.

You can configure tempdb during the installation to increase the database performance. For more information about the tempdb performance

The memory page is used to allocate the maximum and minimum amount of memory to SQL Server. For more information about recommended settings

We also have a tab for User Instances, which allows users to run a separate instance of the database. The Filestream is used to store non-structured data like documents and images.

After that, press Next, and the installer will run the package to install the components and options selected.

If everything is OK, a Complete message will be displayed.

A restart message will be displayed.

At this point, SQL Server should now be installed and ready for use.

SQL Express 2025 Edition Limitations

SQL Server Express Edition only supports databases up to 50 GB, whereas Enterprise Edition supports databases up to 524 PB. Also, SQL Server Express Edition supports 1 socket or 4 cores.

The Maximum memory for the buffer pool per instance is 1410 MB. In addition, SQL Server Express Edition does not support Always On Failover Clusters or Availability Groups.

Best SQL Query to Find Duplicates – Step by Step Guide

 inding duplicate rows is one of the most common tasks in SQL, especially when working with real-world data like customer records, invoices, transactions, or log data.

In this article, you will learn the best SQL queries to identify duplicates, how to remove them, and how to prevent them in the future.

This is a beginner-friendly and practical tutorial you can use in SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and even BigQuery.

🔍 Why Finding Duplicates Is Important

Duplicate rows can create multiple problems:

• Wrong totals in reports

• Incorrect customer counts

• Issues in billing

• Slow performance

• Errors in downstream systems (Power BI, ETL, APIs)

Cleaning duplicates is one of the first tasks in data quality improvement.

✅ 1. Find Duplicates Using GROUP BY (Best & Easiest Method)

This is the most common and universal method.

Query:

SELECT 
    column1,
    column2,
    COUNT(*) AS duplicate_count
FROM table_name
GROUP BY column1, column2
HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;

✔ When to use:

• When you want to know which values are duplicated

• Works in SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, BigQuery

📌 Example: Find Duplicate Email IDs

Suppose you have a table:

id	name	email
1	Raj	raj@gmail.com
2	Priya	priya@gmail.com
3	Rajesh	raj@gmail.com
4	Anita	anita@gmail.com

The email raj@gmail.com is repeated.

Query:

SELECT 
    email,
    COUNT(*) AS duplicate_count
FROM users
GROUP BY email
HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;

Output:
email
duplicate_count
 
        raj@gmail.com

🔥 3. Find Duplicates Using ROW_NUMBER() (Best for Deleting)

This is the most powerful method.
It uses window functions and gives a row number to each duplicate group.

Query:

WITH cte AS (
    SELECT 
        *,
        ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY email ORDER BY id) AS rn
    FROM users
)
SELECT *
FROM cte
WHERE rn > 1;

✔ When to use:

• When you need to delete only duplicates and keep 1 record

• When you want to mark duplicates

---

🗑 4. Delete Duplicate Rows (Keep Only One)

Using the same CTE:

WITH cte AS (
    SELECT 
        *,
        ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY email ORDER BY id) AS rn
    FROM users
)
DELETE FROM cte
WHERE rn > 1;

This deletes all duplicate rows but keeps the first row.

---

🧠 5. Find Duplicates by Date or Conditional Columns

Example: Find duplicates only for rows created today.

SELECT name, email, created_date, COUNT(*)
FROM users
WHERE created_date = CURRENT_DATE
GROUP BY name, email, created_date
HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;

This is useful for ETL loads and daily imports.

---

🛑 6. Prevent Duplicates Using Constraints

Best long-term solution.

In SQL Server / MySQL / PostgreSQL:

ALTER TABLE users
ADD CONSTRAINT uq_email UNIQUE (email);

In Oracle:

ALTER TABLE users
ADD CONSTRAINT uq_email UNIQUE (email);

After this, the database will automatically block duplicate values.

---

📸 Screenshots You Should Add (To Increase SEO + AdSense Earnings)

You can add these screenshots:

• SSMS window showing query

• Duplicate rows in a sample table

• Execution result window

(If you want, I can generate clean screenshots for you.)

---

❓ FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the fastest way to find duplicates in SQL?

Using GROUP BY + HAVING COUNT(*) > 1 is the simplest and fastest method.

---

2. Does ROW_NUMBER() find duplicates?

Yes. ROW_NUMBER assigns sequence numbers to rows allowing you to identify duplicate rows easily.

---

3. Will deleting duplicates improve performance?

Yes.
Removing duplicates improves:

• Query performance

• Joins

• Aggregations

• ETL workflows

---

4. How to avoid duplicates permanently?

Use a UNIQUE constraint or PRIMARY KEY on important columns like email, mobile, employee code, etc.

---

5. Does this work in all SQL databases?

Yes — all examples work in:

• SQL Server

• MySQL

• PostgreSQL

• Oracle

• BigQuery

---

⭐ Final Thoughts

Finding and removing duplicates is a critical part of database maintenance.
By using the queries shown above—GROUP BY, ROW_NUMBER, and unique constraints—you can quickly identify and eliminate duplicate data efficiently.

If you want more SQL tutorials, feel free to browse my other posts or ask in the comments!

---

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• SQL Server

• MySQL

• BigQuery

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FULL PYTHON + MS SQL SCRIPT (BEST PRACTICE)

 

FULL PYTHON + MS SQL SCRIPT (BEST PRACTICE)

import pyodbc

# -----------------------------------------

# SQL CONNECTION (EDIT THIS PART)

# -----------------------------------------

def get_connection():

    try:

        conn = pyodbc.connect(

            "DRIVER={ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server};"

            "SERVER=YOUR_SERVER_NAME;"      # e.g. DESKTOP-123\SQLEXPRESS

            "DATABASE=YOUR_DATABASE_NAME;"

            "UID=YOUR_USERNAME;"

            "PWD=YOUR_PASSWORD;",

            autocommit=False                # Manual commit = safer

        )

        return conn

    except Exception as ex:

        print("Database connection failed:", ex)

        return None

# -----------------------------------------

# INSERT RECORD

# -----------------------------------------

def insert_employee(emp_id, name, salary):

    conn = get_connection()

    if not conn:

        return

    try:

        cursor = conn.cursor()

        query = """

            INSERT INTO Employees (EmpID, Name, Salary)

            VALUES (?, ?, ?)

        """

        cursor.execute(query, (emp_id, name, salary))

        conn.commit()

        print("Record inserted successfully!")

    except Exception as ex:

        conn.rollback()

        print("Insert failed:", ex)

    finally:

        conn.close()

# -----------------------------------------

# UPDATE RECORD

# -----------------------------------------

def update_employee(emp_id, new_salary):

    conn = get_connection()

    if not conn:

        return

    try:

        cursor = conn.cursor()

        query = """

            UPDATE Employees

            SET Salary = ?

            WHERE EmpID = ?

        """

        cursor.execute(query, (new_salary, emp_id))

        conn.commit()

        print("Record updated successfully!")

    except Exception as ex:

        conn.rollback()

        print("Update failed:", ex)

    finally:

        conn.close()

# -----------------------------------------

# DELETE RECORD

# -----------------------------------------

def delete_employee(emp_id):

    conn = get_connection()

    if not conn:

        return

    try:

        cursor = conn.cursor()

        query = "DELETE FROM Employees WHERE EmpID = ?"

        cursor.execute(query, (emp_id,))

        conn.commit()

        print("Record deleted successfully!")

    except Exception as ex:

        conn.rollback()

        print("Delete failed:", ex)

    finally:

        conn.close()

# -----------------------------------------

# SELECT ALL RECORDS

# -----------------------------------------

def get_all_employees():

    conn = get_connection()

    if not conn:

        return

    try:

        cursor = conn.cursor()

        cursor.execute("SELECT EmpID, Name, Salary FROM Employees")

        print("\n--- Employee List ---")

        for row in cursor.fetchall():

            print(row.EmpID, row.Name, row.Salary)

    except Exception as ex:

        print("Select failed:", ex)

    finally:

        conn.close()

# -----------------------------------------

# CALL STORED PROCEDURE

# -----------------------------------------

def call_stored_procedure():

    """

    Example Stored Procedure:

    CREATE PROCEDURE GetEmployees

    AS

    BEGIN

        SELECT * FROM Employees

    END

    """

    conn = get_connection()

    if not conn:

        return

    try:

        cursor = conn.cursor()

        cursor.execute("{CALL GetEmployees}")   # or EXEC GetEmployees

        rows = cursor.fetchall()

        print("\n--- Stored Procedure Result ---")

        for row in rows:

            print(row.EmpID, row.Name, row.Salary)

    except Exception as ex:

        print("Stored procedure failed:", ex)

    finally:

        conn.close()

# -----------------------------------------

# MAIN TESTING

# -----------------------------------------

if __name__ == "__main__":

    insert_employee(1, "Vijay", 50000)

    update_employee(1, 60000)

    get_all_employees()

    delete_employee(1)

    get_all_employees()

    call_stored_procedure()

🚀 How to Use

1. Update:

SERVER=
DATABASE=
UID=
PWD=

2. Create sample table in SQL:

CREATE TABLE Employees (
    EmpID INT PRIMARY KEY,
    Name VARCHAR(100),
    Salary DECIMAL(18,2)
);

3. Run the Python file:

python mssql_python_demo.py

Copilot in SSMS provides AI assistance similar to ChatGPT directly within SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

 Requirements

SQL Server Management Studio 21 or later is required, along with an Azure OpenAI endpoint and deployment from Azure AI Foundry. Azure authentication is recommended over API keys for security.​

Installation Steps

Launch the Visual Studio Installer, select your SSMS installation, and choose Modify. Under the AI Assistance workload, ensure Copilot in SSMS is selected, then click Modify to install.​

Configuration Steps

Open SSMS, click the Copilot button on the SQL Editor toolbar (or use View > Copilot or Ctrl+Alt+C). Enter your Azure OpenAI Endpoint, Deployment (e.g., gpt-4o), and API Key if needed, then select Launch Copilot. Authenticate via Microsoft Entra ID if prompted, and adjust settings under Tools > Options > Copilot.​

Usage

Connect to your database in a query editor, open the Copilot chat window, and ask natural language questions about your schema or T-SQL code. It supports SQL Server, Azure SQL, and related platforms but review outputs for accuracy. No direct ChatGPT integration exists without this Azure setup