If you need to use a Dedicated Administrator Connection (DAC) via SSMS, you can’t just use the Connect Object Explorer, if you try you will get the following error
Dedicated administrator connections are not supported via SSMS as it establishes multiple connections by design. (Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.SqlStudio.Explorer)
So what do you do? You can connect from within SSMS, you need to click on the Database Engine Query icon
Prefix the servername with Admin: Instead of (local), you would do Admin:(local)
Another way to connect is by using sqlcmd with the command-line option A
Here is an example with a username and password
sqlcmd -S ServerName -U sa -P Password –A
You can also use a trusted connection
sqlcmd -S (local) -E -A
If you want to know more about DAC, check out Using a Dedicated Administrator Connection

Denis has been working with SQL Server since version 6.5. Although he worked as an ASP/JSP/ColdFusion developer before the dot com bust, he has been working exclusively as a database developer/architect since 2002. In addition to English, Denis is also fluent in Croatian and Dutch, but he can curse in many other languages and dialects (just ask the SQL optimizer) He lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife and three kids.