The article <a href="https://blog.jetbrains.com/datagrip/2016/06/21/connecting-datagrip-to-ms-sql-server/" author="Maksim Sobolevskiy" date="June 21, 2016" source="JetBrains Blog">Connecting DataGrip to MS SQL Server</a> covers all of the points well, with screen shots but I just wanted to record my steps, collected into a tight list. Screenshots for most of these steps are available in the blog linked above. If you don't have a license for <i>DataGrip</i>, you can <a href="https://www.jetbrains.com/datagrip/download">download</a> a 30-day trial <i>or</i> you can <a href="https://www.jetbrains.com/rider/">download</a> the <i>JetBrains Rider</i> EAP, which bundles it. Once Rider is released, you'll have to have a license for it, but---for now---you can use it for free. <ul> Open <i>SQL Server Configuration Manager</i> to make sure that the TCP/IP protocol for <i>SQL Server Express</i> in the <i>SQL Server Network Configuration</i> is enabled. Restart the <i>SQL Server</i> Windows service if you made changes. Make sure that the <i>SQL Server Browser</i> Windows service is running. Open the <i>Database</i> tool window. <div>Add a <i>SQL Server (Microsoft)</i> connection. Make sure the driver is downloaded. Fill out the settings as shown for <i>QuinoTests</i> below (click to expand). Note that the port has been cleared. <img src="{att_link}mssqlserverexpressdatagrip.png" href="{att_link}mssqlserverexpressdatagrip.png" align="none" caption="SqlServer Express Settings for DataGrip" scale="50%"></div> </ul>