I'm not sure you understand about MS SQL Studio, by which I think you mean SQL Server Management Studio. You don't need an ODBC for that, you can just build queries and views right in SSMS. You can learn a lot just by asking SSMS to query data for you. Right-click on a table and select 'Select Top 1000 Rows' and you'll get an instant query for that table. You'll have a lot of homework to do to learn your way around well but there's plentiful help available in the SQL arena.

Now, if you want to hook up Excel, or Access or some other program to the database then you'll need an ODBC. But those programs link right into the Windows ODBC facilities.

How to I connect with SSMS? What instance or port?

SSMS 12.0.4213.0
MDAC 6.3.9600.17415
MSXML 3.0 4.0 6.0
Win 2012 R2

How to I connect with SSMS? What instance or port?

SSMS 12.0.4213.0
MDAC 6.3.9600.17415
MSXML 3.0 4.0 6.0
Win 2012 R2

You connect using the server name in the Server name field.

negative. I get my MSSQLSERVER instance only. I don't see any dbase connections or dbs listed.

What would the connection string look like?

In MS SQL Server Management Studio you first connect to the SQL server using the server name, then open Databases to see the list of databases. There is no connection string.
Are we talking about the same thing here?

Yes, I think so. Except under my databases I only show my existing SQL databases. I don't see the Sage Databases, or any new databases that might represent the Sage databases.

I didn't know if Sage might have installed under a new instance or port than the MS SQL server default instance that was already running.

I have clients connected to the Sage service from their remote sage clients. I have SSRS and other applications connected to the SQL databases under the default MS SQL server instance(using the server name as the instance name with no :portnumber or \Instance name).

The Sage 100 back end can be SQL (Premium) or Providex (Standard / Advanced). I don't know what FA's database is but Google tells me it's Sybase. For using SSMS to query non MS-SQL databases you'll have to look into linked servers and the OPENQUERY command.

Then you need to determine which SQL server/instance Sage Fixed Assets is configured to use. Start with the Sage Fixed Assets Database Utility.
Note that SQL Server Management Studio connects to either server name or server name/instance - there is no port option. SQL server uses port 1433 by default.

Sage Fixed Assets uses MS SQL server.

Yes, if there is a Fixed Assets Database Utility that will probably give you some clues about where to find your data. And what databases do you see in MSSQL? You said "I only show my existing SQL databases". I'm wondering what those are. Are you sure they're not what you need?

49153,
I think you are 100% correct. I don't think my version uses sql services. Thank you for your quick replies. I am sorry to have taken away so much time. I think I need to look into the OPENQUERY command for Sybase connections. I fear this is more of a flat lock file type setup and I worry of corruption. I noticed SQL threads sprinkled across the forum and I had hope of a stable and accessible service that was easy for me to work with using my existing skill set.

Thanks for trying to help, 49153.