What is the T-SQL syntax to connect to another SQL Server?

Also, make sure when you write the query involving the linked server, you include brackets like this:

SELECT * FROM [LinkedServer].[RemoteDatabase].[User].[Table]

I've found that at least on 2000/2005 the [] brackets are necessary, at least around the server name.

If I were to paraphrase the question - is it possible to pick server context for query execution in the DDL - the answer is no. Only database context can be programmatically chosen with USE. (having already preselected the server context externally)

Linked server and OPEN QUERY can give access to the DDL but require somewhat a rewrite of your code to encapsulate as a string - making it difficult to develop/debug.

Alternately you could resort to an external driver program to pickup SQL files to send to the remote server via OPEN QUERY. However in most cases you might as well have connected to the server directly in the 1st place to evaluate the DDL.

In SQL Server Management Studio, turn on SQLCMD mode from the Query menu. Then at the top of your script, type in the command below

:Connect server_name[\instance_name] [-l timeout] [-U user_name [-P password]

If you are connecting to multiple servers, be sure to insert GO between connections; otherwise your T-SQL won't execute on the server you're thinking it will.

Update: for connecting to another sql server and executing sql statements, you have to use sqlcmd Utility. This is typically done in a batch file. You can combine this with xmp_cmdshell if you want to execute it within management studio.

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one way is to configure a linked server. then you can append the linked server and the database name to the table name. (select * from linkedserver.database.dbo.TableName)

USE master
GO
EXEC sp_addlinkedserver 
    'SEATTLESales',
    N'SQL Server'
GO