How to get SQL Server Management Studio to automatically connect upon startup?

[C17]

Hi all,

2000's Enterprise Manager was smart enough to automatically connect to my
last database when it was launched.

Somehow I can't find out how to turn on this extremely useful feature in
2005's Management Studio. Can anyone tell me the secret?

Thanks,

C17

[Aaron Bertrand [SQL Server MVP]]

None of these things are "secrets." You can add command line parameters and
create shortcuts for different servers. Here are the possible startup
parameters for Management Studio (sqlwb.exe):

Usage:
sqlwb.exe [-S server_name[\instance_name]] [-d database] [-U user] [-P
password] [-E] [file_name[, file_name]] [/?]

[-S The name of the SQL Server instance to which to connect]
[-d The name of the SQL Server database to which to connect]
[-E] Use Windows Authentication to login to SQL Server
[-U The name of the SQL Server login with which to connect]
[-P The password associated with the login]
[file_name[, file_name]] names of files to load
[-nosplash] Supress splash screen
[/?] Displays this usage information

However, this won't automatically open Object Explorer. (Same was true in
Query Analyzer, IIRC.)

--
Aaron Bertrand
SQL Server MVP
http://www.sqlblog.com/
http://www.aspfaq.com/5006

[C17]

Thank you, that works great!!

It's still annoying that one can't set a default via the UI, though. From
reading the Feedback pages, and the MSFT responses, it seems as though
everyone at MSFT thinks that we're all using Management Studio from inside
of VS, and so the response to a lot of these usability requests is
basically,
"Well, you can do that from inside of VS." I think they forget that a lot
of us use it for management, not development!

Thanks again,

C17

[Sue Hoegemeier]

You maybe are misunderstanding the posts from Microsoft. You
don't use Management Studio from inside Visual Studio. You
use Management Studio OR Visual Studio.
What posts are you referring too? You are always free to
offer product suggestions.

-Sue