The innovative new shell had to eliminate some of the legacy restrictions but also had to be familiar to users. For two generations of SQL Server, database professionals had used the Enterprise Manager or Analysis Manager, both of which were MMC snap-ins. A new shell would definitely solve some of the issues, but it would also break a long-term trend. However, deviating from the MMC model was not that easy. They consistently asked us why they could not resize the management dialogs to take advantage of the full size of their screens. However, as the high-resolution computer monitors became more popular and the average size of the desktop increased to 1024 x 768, the legacy Enterprise Manager users hated this restriction.

For example, the MMC model stipulated that the management dialogs had to be modal with a fixed size optimized for a desktop size of 640 x 480 pixels. The MMC model was old, monolithic, and it did not provide the extensibility needed. While we were studying different hosting environments, or as we called them 'shells,' we soon concluded that the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) shell was not suitable to host the new tools. To achieve these goals, the team had to choose an environment that was easily extensible, user-friendly, and familiar to the database professionals. The second goal was to provide an innovative tool to make database professionals more productive at querying, managing, and administrating SQL Server. The first goal was to provide a consistent management experience for all components of SQL Server. The Microsoft SQL Server Team had two main goals for the design of the new SQL Server 2005 management tools.

Sql server enterprise manager