Specify Connection in Management Studio T-SQL Query

No way to do this as part of a script from SSMS, but you do have two options.

One thing you can do is use SQLCMD mode and the ::connect command in order to have a script that will connect to multiple servers and run the script. This works well if you save the script for the user and use the :r command to load the script from a file.

Another thing you can do is configure a Central Management Server and then run your script against multiple servers at once.

Actually, it is possible from within T-SQL, but you have to meet a certain set of conditions and jumpt through a few hoops.

• First, you need to enable remote queries (OPENDATASOURCE/OPENROWSET) on the server from which the queries will be run.
• Second, you need to make sure that the target servers have remote access enabled.
• Third, you will need to make heavy use of dynamic SQL so that you can "inject" T-SQL code into the database engine of the target server to be executed.

Here is a sample script that will allow you to leverage the CMS to automate SQL tasks.

/**********************************************************************/

/* Global change password script                                      */

/*                                                                    */

/* This script changes the password for a SQL login on all servers    */

/* managed by a Central Management Server. It assumes that the login  */

/* exists on all servers, and that all servers are SQL 2005 or later. */

/**********************************************************************/

DECLARE @nServer NVARCHAR (128) -- Variable to hold the instance name retrieved from the CMS

DECLARE @nSQL NVARCHAR (4000)   -- Variable to hold dynamic SQL

DECLARE @ServerFetch INT        -- Variable to hold the fetch status. In SQL 2005, the @@FETCH_STATUS

                                -- variable is scoped at the system level, so if another process is also

                                -- using a cursor the @@FETCH_STATUS variable will be set according to

                                -- that operation. This allows us to store a persistent value.


DECLARE curServer CURSOR LOCAL STATIC FOR  -- Declare the cursor with the LOCAL and STATIC options, and

                                           -- retrieve the list of server names from the Central Management

                                           -- Server. The value in the [sysmanagement_shared_server_groups_internal]

                                           -- table is user-defined; for purposes of this example we have

                                           -- created a group named "SQL2008".

    SELECT DISTINCT

    s.server_name AS 'ServerName'

    FROM OPENDATASOURCE ('SQLOLEDB', 'Data Source = CMS1\Management; Integrated Security = SSPI').msdb.dbo.sysmanagement_shared_server_groups_internal g

    INNER JOIN OPENDATASOURCE ('SQLOLEDB', 'Data Source = CMS1\Management; Integrated Security = SSPI').msdb.dbo.sysmanagement_shared_registered_servers_internal s ON g.server_group_id = s.server_group_id

    WHERE g.name = 'SQL2008'

    ORDER BY s.server_name

OPEN curServer

FETCH FIRST FROM curServer INTO @nServer       -- Retrieve the first row

SET @ServerFetch = @@FETCH_STATUS              -- Store the status of the fetch operation

WHILE @ServerFetch = 0                         -- If the fetch was successful, we enter the loop. Otherwise

                                               -- execution passes to the statement following the END statement.

    BEGIN

    -- Build the dynamic SQL to alter the password for the SQL login.

    SET @nSQL = 'EXEC OPENDATASOURCE (''SQLOLEDB'', ''Data Source = ' + @nServer

        + '; Integrated Security = SSPI'').master.dbo.sp_executesql N''ALTER LOGIN SQLLogin WITH PASSWORD = ''''<enterStrongPasswordHere>'''''

    -- Execute the dynamic SQL.

    EXEC sp_executesql @nSQL

    FETCH NEXT FROM curServer INTO @nServer    -- Retrieve the next row.

    SET @ServerFetch = @@FETCH_STATUS          -- Store the status of the fetch operation.

    END

CLOSE curServer        -- Close the cursor.

DEALLOCATE curServer   -- Remove the cursor from memory.