Maximum PC

At work, we use MS SQL Server 2008 (Standard) which is used in part with our Product Data Management System to manage the file system on our server (we use the SolidWorks Enterprise PDM system, which makes use of SQL Server for it's database).

There are times when I need to manually parse the database (not on a daily basis. but often enough to make it a bit of a burden right now), Anyway, I want to be able to download the DB, for example on the weekend, and parse and do what I need to on my laptop at home. Can I read and edit the DB using SQL Server Express 2008/2010 on my laptop, or will I need to get the exact same version (or at least, not an Express version) of SQL Server to do this?

At this point, I'd like to NOT have to get SQL Server (a paid copy) for my laptop, because of the cost. So, I'm looking for alternatives first, and then will buy it if I have to (the company I work for, will buy it).

Secondly, does the Express version have a system like the SQL Management Studio with it, or is the express version merely to HOST databases, not edit them directly?

You should be able to attach a copy of the database from the Standard edition as long as it fits within the file size limit (4GB or 10GB if the version is 2008 R2).

If you need to edit the database and have the changes persist to the live DB though, you'd be better off working against the server database over a VPN with the management studio included in the SQL Server Express (w/tools) download. The tools included with the Express edition do work against full version DBs on remote machines with some limitations

The Express versions have limits:
- 10GB max DB size
- 1 CPU
- 4GB RAM

Standard can go up to 524PB (yes, petabytes) and is only restricted in memory and other features. I use Express a lot, but for your doings, make sure that the .bak files don't go over 10GB. If they do, then you'll need to shoot to something paid. Express also has SQL Management Studio, which is a separate download w/ Web Platform Installer.