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Applies to: 
SQL Server
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Azure Synapse Analytics
Analytics Platform System (PDW)
This article describes the file types that are specific to SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). By default, all solutions and their projects are created in SQL Server Management Studio Projects under your local user folder.
Management Studio solution files
SSMS uses different file types than SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) or Visual Studio. This means you can't open an SSMS solution in SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) or in Visual Studio. SSMS solution files allow Solution Explorer to display a graphical interface for managing your files.
| Extension | File type | Description | Created by |
|---|---|---|---|
.ssmssln |
SSMS solution object | Provides the environment with references to the location on disk of SQL Server projects, project items, and solution | SQL Server Management Studio |
Management Studio project files
In the same way that solutions contain solution files that manage objects in a solution, projects contain project files. The type of project file that SSMS creates for a project depends on the template used to create the project. The following table describes the type of file created for each project.
| Extension | Project template |
|---|---|
| .ssmssqlproj | SQL Server Scripts Project |
| .ssmsasproj | Analysis Services Scripts Project |
Location of solution-Level files
By default, solution-level files are created in the physical directory of the first project that is created with the solution. You can specify a directory for the solution by creating a solution, or you can specify the directory when you create a new project.
If you have a directory structure similar to the logical structure shown in Solution Explorer, project and solution files are easier to locate and share with other developers on a team.