tohun/mssql-lab repository overview

⁠🎓 What is this Image?

Think of this Docker image as a ready-to-go SQL Server that automatically does your homework setup for you.

Instead of installing Microsoft SQL Server manually and running a huge script to create tables and fill them with fake students, grades, and payments, this image does it all automatically when it starts.

⁠🚀 Quick Start: How to Run It

To use this image, you need to run a command in your terminal (PowerShell, Command Prompt, or Terminal).

Here is the best command to copy and paste to get started immediately:

docker run -e "INIT_DEFAULT_DB=TRUE" -e "LAB=1" -e "VARIANT=5" -p 1433:1433 --name sql_lab_1 tohun/mssql-lab

⁠⚙️ Settings (Environment Variables)

You can customize how the database is built by changing the "Environment Variables" (the -e flags in the command above). Here is what each one does:

⁠🔌 How to Connect

Once the container is running, you can connect to it using SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio), DBeaver, or Azure Data Studio.

• Server / Host: localhost,1433
• Authentication: SQL Server Authentication
• Login (User): sa
• Password: Lab_Password!123 (or whatever you changed it to)

⁠🧠 How It Works (Under the Hood)

1. Starts SQL Server: The container starts the Microsoft SQL Server engine.
2. Waits: It pauses and checks every second to see if the server is ready to accept commands.
3. Checks Settings: If you set INIT_DEFAULT_DB=TRUE, it looks at which LAB number you chose.
4. Runs the Script: It automatically runs the SQL script (like setup_lab_1.sql) to create tables (Students, Payments, etc.) and generates thousands of rows of fake data based on your VARIANT.
5. Sets a Flag: It creates a small hidden file called setup_completed.flag. This ensures that if you restart the container, it doesn't try to overwrite your database again.

⁠💡 Tips for Running It Better

• Don't lose your data: If you delete the container, your database disappears. To keep your work safe, add a "volume" to your command. This saves the database files on your actual computer. Add this to your docker run command: -v sql_data:/var/opt/mssql/data
• If you get a connection error: Wait 10-20 seconds after starting the container. SQL Server takes a moment to wake up and run the setup scripts. You can check the progress by running docker logs sql_lab.
• Custom Scripts: If you have your own .sql files you want to run automatically, you can put them in a folder and map it to /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d inside the container. The image is built to run any extra SQL files found there automatically!