How to set up a barcode -> database inventory system?

While we are going 1:1 with chromebooks, we also have Windows machines, and I'm setting up a VNC so I can use a windows shell on the chrome book.

We have licenses for Microsoft SQL so we will use that, and servers as needed.

We have barcode scanners, however, I don't know what software we have... We have a library system that uses barcodes, so I can't imagine we don't have some kind of software.

Once the database is populated, it won't need to be touched, unless someone breaks a computer, at which point we will scan their ID, and we'd need a way to pull up the numbers in the system to see if it is their machine/power cable/power brick etc.

I've never played with SQL - do I need a 3rd party application to access / write the data - is the SQL simply a database with nothing else?