Develop for SQL Server Standard using SQL Server Express? - sql

I'm working on a web service project, and I'm coding at home, where I have SQL Express 2008 installed, but the app needs to interface with an SQL Server Standard. I've never done the transition before, and I haven't been able to find any resources on the subject - plenty of stuff about upgrading, but nothing about how to deploy.
For instance, Visual C# Express, I don't seem to be able to connect to a database without a database file - is that how Standard works as well? Do I just deploy the file with the application?

You can use the Express version also as a stand-alone installation. See here for example. In fact, there is also a free edition of Management Studio. You can manage your database the same way as any other edition. If you install SQL server express in this way, you can move to another version of SQL server without a hitch!

Unless you are doing something very very unusual or something hacky, the deployment will be very easy. Anything that I know of that you can do in the Express version works exactly the same in the full version.
All different ways of connecting to the database are available in both the Express version and full version. You don't need any database file to make a connection, unless the framework that you use requires it. You always connect to the database server through the network, never through the file system.
When you deploy the application you just change the connection string so that it points to the live server. If the login is set up the same way on that server, it works without any other changes.

I think you'll have to manually create the connection string as the IDE won't automatically generate ones connecting to SQL Server Standard Edition. But you can easily record two in the app - one for testing that points to the EXPRESS instance, and one for the live that points to the real one. As long as you're connecting to the same objects and interacting with them in the same way, it should be fine.
You can manually amend your connection string AFTER the IDE has generated its own to something like :
Data Source=ServerName;Initial Catalog=AppDatabase;Integrated Security=True;Persist Security Info=True;Connect Timeout=30
replacing ServerName and AppDatabase as required, and with possible authentication changes. You'll have to watch for the IDE recreating the original connection string, though, as I can't see a way to modify the connection string used in the Database Explorer and if you use the IDE to drag datasources into your app it'll keep using the original connection string.
SQL Server Developer Editions are pretty cheap, though - easily less than £50.

Related

VB.NET Creating a local database in VS2013 or in SQL Server Management Studio

I am about to begin a personal project to build my skills in the .net environment. I am familiar with SQL Server Management Studio and how to create a database in it but I discovered how to make a local database in Visual Studio as well. My program is only going to require local database access as it will be used for individual inventory systems rather than connected ones. Am I ok to use the onboard tools in visual studio and create a local databasse or should I be using the SQL Server Management Studio?
When you use the Local Database item template in VS, it creates a SQL Server CE data file (SDF) and adds it to your project. When you use the Service-based Database item templete, it creates a SQL Server (Express) data file (MDF) and adds it to your project.
The advantage of using the VS tools is that the data file becomes part of your project and can therefore be easily deployed with the compiled application. As such, the database is basically part of the application.
If you choose SQL Server CE then you don't need a server installed on the user's local machine. They can install SQL Server CE or you can install it with your app if you want, but you also have the option of simply deploying a DLL with your app and it will work.
If you choose SQL Server Express then the user actually needs a SQL Server instance installed on their machine. To be honest, I'm not 100% sure whether that instance must be SQL Server Express or it can be a full SQL Server instance too. It would usually be SQL Server Express though, which you can install and even download automatically when you install your app, depending on the deployment method you choose.
If you use the VS tools to create an MDF data file then your connection string will contain the Data Source and AttachDbFilename attributes. The Data Source will generally be ".\SQLExpress", i.e. an instance named "SQLExpress" on the local machine. That instance name is not required, although it is the default for SQL Server Express, but it must be on the local machine. The MDF file gets attached at run time and detached again when you're app is done with it. It will also usually be attached to a user instance, which means that other users can't see it, even when it's attached. Note that, in later versions, the LocalDB feature of SQL Server may also be utilised.
If you create your database in Management Studio then it's not actually part of your app. It will be permanently attached to the SQL Server instance so, everyone will be able to see it and open it, assuming permissions allow. Creating the database during deployment will be an extra step in that case. You might create a backup and restore that during deployment or generate SQL scripts that get run. In this case, your connection string will contain the Initial Catalog attribute to specify the name of database to connect to, as well as the Data Source attribute. This option is required if you want multiple clients to be able to connect to the database.
In short, if you are only going to be accessing a database from the local instance of the one application then creating a database in VS is OK and probably a good idea. Whether you choose SQL Server CE or SQL Server Express may well depend on what level of functionality you need.

Creating a Database Server for home use in SQL Server 2005 Express

I am looking to create a database server that can be used to store data using a VB.net application. When I initially installed SQL Server 2005 Express edition, I believe I installed this using the LocalDB option.
As it stands my application is a simple tool which utilises the Process.Start command under certain situations, depending on user input, to launch Game Servers for use at a gaming LAN I assist in running.
I wish to progress the application by being able to update, delete and query a database created in SQL Server 2005 Express. I understand the use of connection strings etc, however I am wondering if the installation using LocalDB will mean that I cannot connect to the server to process the data I require.
Can I continue to use the LocalDB option and create a Database Server for specific use using my application or is a different installation option required?
Secondly, can someone point me in the right direction of how to create a new Server for this purpose? All of my searches so far have provided results for creating a database only, and not the server.
I have a couple questions about what you are trying to do.
First, why are you installing SQL Server 2005? It was released almost a decade ago.
I would go with 2012 express edition.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=29062
Second, install the management tools. SSMS is a nice GUI to do work in.
Third, If you are spinning up anything other than express, there are licensing costs which are quite high. 9K for standard and 25K for enterprise per socket or such.
Here are the versions and features list from microsoft.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144275.aspx
Last but not least, having the express edition on another computer is fine. However, you will have to use a network protocol such as TCP/IP instead of shared memory.
It will take longer to send Tabular Data Stream (TDS) to the other computer versus talking to memory on the same computer.
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/sqlserver/en-US/c4f06669-41fd-42e6-b4a9-564cf04ca9f7/how-to-choose-between-shared-memory-named-pipes-tcpip-via?forum=sqlgetstarted
Good luck with your project.
You can use a local instance of SQL Server just fine, if you want to set up a separate server for some reason then you'll need either a 2nd machine on which to install SQL Server, or to spin up a virtual machine. If running Windows 8 (and barring hardware limitations) you have Hyper-V at your fingertips.
This is not a complete answer for you but may give you some things to think about.
First you might want to think about your choice of database. If you don't have a compelling reason for using 2005 you will probably at least want to move to SQL Express 2008.
Second, to answer the part about creating a server... A server is something that serves data. In a general sense a computer configured to be contacted by external machines and respond with data is a server. A web server runs a program like IIS or Apache to respond with web pages. A database server contains a database and allows connections to that database. So as long as you install the database on a computer and configure it to allow external connections, you have your database server.
In MS SQL there are several things that need to be set up to allow a database to accept external connections. One is that the SQL Server Browser service will need to be active. Another is that the database itself will need to be configured to allow external connections (SQL Authentication type probably).
Hope this helps.
Addition:
SQL Remote Connection Configuration
Disclaimer, I don't have SQL Express 2005 installed but I think the settings are found in the same place in 2008. If the info here is not exact to SQL Express 2005, the general terminology used here should be enough to get you headed in the right direction to find the specifics.
While viewing the database in Server Management Studio or Enterprise Manager, right click the database server instance name (the root of the tree) and select properties. There should be a section title Connections and within this section there should be an option "Allow remote connections to this server". Make sure it is checked. The other setting you need in this properties menu is under the security area. There is a radio button for "Windows Authentication Mode" and "SQL Server and Windows Authentication Mode", you want the second that allows both.
The next step you have may be to create a new user, add a password, and connect the user to the database. That will give you the credentials you will use in your database connection string while programming. I usually add new users through the security section of the database then set the User Roles for each database that I need to connect to. It is good practice to limit the permissions to those needed by the application. Typically this is read and write, but sometimes you can get away with just read. The less the better.

Can SQL Server Express LocalDB be connected to remotely?

I am looking into using the new SQL Server Express LocalDB (I think it is code named "Denali") for a desktop application.
It is currently running with SQL Compact, but the user is wanting to share the database between multiple PCs on a network. Unfortunately this is not something that SQL Compact can do, so I am investigating other solutions.
The client requires the ability to send database files easily to other sites or to back them up to a flash disk, so I am avoiding going to SQL Express because there is quite a bit of "administrator" knowledge required to backup and restore.
So, my questions is, does the new SQL Express LocalDB support remote connections to the database over a network and/or through a shared network folder with the mdf file in it?
LocalDB does support supplying a path for an attached local DB in it's connect string (AttachDbFileName) hence the shared network folder option.
NOTE: This question pertains to "LocalDB" the new version of SQL Express 'Denali' and not to SQL Server Express 2008 or prior.
See article here announcing LocalDB's release: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlexpress/archive/2011/07/12/introducing-localdb-a-better-sql-express.aspx
No, SQL Server Express LocalDB doesn't accept remote connections.
The idea with shared network folder might work, but only if you are able to make sure the LocalDB instance is shutdown before you try to copy the file. Also keep in mind that only one LocalDB instance can have any given database file open at the same time. and don't forget about the log files!
Additional security warning: unlike SQL Server Compact databases, SQL Server Express databases (including LocalDB ones) are not designed as secure data exchange format. For instance, they can contain malicious code in .NET assemblies embedded in them. So you should never open databases from untrusted source.
Maybe providing the customer with a simple tool that automates the backup process would be a better idea?
This isn't a fresh thread, but I would like to share my experience with SQL Server Express database LocalDB.
I have a WPF C# project using SQL database with LocalDb Engine. It is working fine no problem, I can use the database with the WPF app. I wanted this app to work on network with more PCs.
On the network another PC can use the database from my PC using UNC path in the connection string.
It seemed to me the remote connection is working. However when the remote PC is connected, I am not able to use the database with my local WPF app. If I run my app first the remote PC could not connect. So this tells me that the remote connection is working, but the multiple connection is not allowed.
OK, I didn't give up and I run the app from my PC twice and I saw it is working which tells me that the same SQL LocalDB engine can handle multiple connections locally only.
I hope this experience will help someone. Thanks.
In short, yes it can. Here is a tutorial on how to configure it.
Also, here is another post with a potential issue that might occur.
Both explain how to configure SQL Server Express to accept Remote Connections.

Deployment of SQL Server: installing a second instance?

Simple problem. I'm working on a Delphi 2007/WIN32 application which now uses MS Access as simple data store. I have to modify it to support SQL Server Express, which is easy. These modifications are working so the application can be deployed using either SQL Server or MS Access. (Whatever the user prefers.) I did consider deploying the whole application together with the SQL Compact but this is not practicak. Using SQL Server Express 2008 instead of 2005 is an option, but also has a few nasty side-effects which we don't want to resolve for now.
The problem is deploying the whole project. The installation with SQL Server would need a quiet installation so the user won't notice it. SQL Server is mentioned in the documentation so they know it's there. We just don't want to bother them with technical issues. In most cases, such an installation will go just fine.
But what if the user already has an SQL Server (2005) installation which is used for something else? Personally, I would prefer to just install a second instance of SQL Server on their system so it won't conflict with the other installation. (Thus, if they uninstall the other app, the SQL instance will just stay installed.)
While SQL Server 2005 and 2008 can be installed on the same system simply by using two different names for the instance, I wonder if it's also possible to install SQL Server 2005 twice on a single system to get two instances. And if possible, how?
To answer your question: yes SQL2005/SQL2008 and SQLExpress2005/2008 can all live happily side by side. The default instance name for the SQLExpress install is [machine name]\SQLEXPRESS. But having said that, you should consider giving your customer the option to use the sql instance they already have, and only install a new instance if they choose to.
I don't know if SQLExpress can be installed silently (most likely it can as long as you specify the right properties on the command line when you install it). But we have rolled it out to lots of customers, and they have very few issues installing it normally.
Edit: I have added this as an edit because a comment doesn't allow enough.
I understand your reluctance to both having the user install SQL manually, and to sharing another instance. To address these points:
uninstalling a product should never automatically uninstall the SQL instance, even if that SQL instance was put there when installing that product. By all means the database can be blown away, but uninstalling a SQL instance should be a manual process, as it is a server product that may be used by many other products
you can make your task a lot easier by using a decent installer product. For instance, we use InstallShield. It has a sql browse dialog built in (its a baked in feature of InstallShield) that the user can use to select which sql instance and database they want to use for our product. The details the user enters are then inserted in to the web.config file using an XML file change task (also functionality baked into InstallShield). By using dialogs like this you eliminate a lot of potential user errors.
if there is already an existing sql instance, use it. The only dependence your database should have on the instance is that it is the right version (i.e. SQL2005, and 2008 is fine for a 2005 database). The only time you should demand your own instance is if you are processing/storing enough data that you require your own server, or if you are depending upon undocumented features. If the existing instance is already under heavy load, then insisting on a new instance on a different server is fine, but then you have also avoided that whole side-by-side situation. Alternatively you could just install in to the existing instance and get the customer to commit to upgrading the hardware.
I hope this helps somewhat - i'm just trying to persuade you that there are limited reasons for needing a separate instance and that 99% of the time you will be fine installing in to an existing instance. It's nice to have your own instance but in reality it brings you few real benefits, especially if you are using a robust installer.
You can install SQL Server Express in silent mode using the /Q command line switch or use the /QS command line switch to see setup progress without user input. You can install a named instance on a system that already has SQL Server installed.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144259.aspx
There are a number of reasons why it is very useful to have your own instance of an SQL Server.
You can decide for yourself what type of authentication you use (SQL authentication or Windows authentication). Although Windows authentication is recommended, scenario's exist where this is simply not an option. And enabling SQL authentication for an instance where other products use the same instance is a security risk.
You can safely assume that your product is the only user of the installed instance. So with installing and uninstalling the instance you know the version and databases in use by that instance. No extra detection needed, as long as different versions of your product use the same SQL configuration and version.
Isolation of your installments (files, registry keys, dll's and other products) is a very good practice!
Also, uninstalling an SQL Server instance doesn't lead to data loss, because the data files of the databases will not be removed. After reinstalling, you can attach the data files again if needed.
that being said, SQL Server express can be installed in three different interaction modes:
Full UI, including SQL license agreement acceptance
Silent, but with detailed progress UI
Silent, without any progress UI (and suppressed errors!)
Detailed instructions for installation can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144259(SQL.90).aspx

Portforward SQL Server?

I haven't done SQL in a while, so I need to freshen up on things. I have a SQL Database running on my computer, and my server is localhost. I made an app in VB.Net that connects to this database. Everything works fine and all, until I distrubute my app to another person. When they try to connnect it doesn't seem to work for them. Do you know whats happening, I copy the whole release folder to them, and they can't connect? Also does anyone know why my icon is not appearing for my application as well, when I give it to another person?
Sincerely,
Kevin
It looks like you are distributing the code with a connection to a MySQL server in localhost, but the other users do not have a SQL server installed. So, depending on what you actually want to do, you have alternatives:
You want to distribute your app with a database, where each user will have his own data (their own 'SQL server'): In this case I recommend you to use SQLite. That way, they don't have to install any database server because SQLite is a file-based DB server, all the funcionality is in the library, no install needed. http://sqlite.phxsoftware.com/ is a .NET binding that works very well.
You want for other people to connect to your database: Then you have to configure connectivity from your users to your database and have a means to configure the connection string, because you probably have "localhost" hard coded there now. Opening the DB server to the world is not a very wise thing to do in general, YMMV. A good alternative is to offer a web services / REST interface for clients to access the data instead of opening direct connections to the DB server.