title: connecting to sql server express remotely
body: <p>i have a beginners question, and i apologize if it is stupid.</p>
  
  <p>i am a beginner at sql server. i can do sql pretty well, but i dont know much about connecting. </p>
  
  <p>i have:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and SQL EXPRESS
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>what is the process of allowing remote connections to it?</p>
  
  <p>i would like to leave my laptop online at home with the management studio running and would like to access my home sql server through a remote connection. </p>
  
  <p>i would like to know</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>how do i allow one of my databases to accept remote connections?</li>
  <li>what would the connection string be? just my laptop's IP address or what?</li>
  <li>is it dangerous to accept remote connections?</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>i have done the following BTW:</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlexpress/archive/2005/05/05/415084.aspx" rel="nofollow">http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlexpress/archive/2005/05/05/415084.aspx</a></p>
  
  <p>and when i do this it works:</p>
  
  <pre><code>SQLCMD -e -s localhost\sqlexpress,2301
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>however when i try to do this it does NOT work</p>
  
  <pre><code>sqlcmd -e -s my.ip.add.ress\sqlexpress,2301
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>anyway, after i do get this to work how would i connect to a specific db??</p>