sql server msde: We wrote our .Net 2.0 application using MSDE.
However, the demo programs we have sent out
many times have trouble installing MSDE on the
customer's computer.
We are thinking about converting our database from
MSDE to access because of this practical problem.
The question is this:
Will the sql server 2005 replacement for MSDE have
an easier time installing than MSDE?

thanks in advance
jay
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For SQL Express the setup has been completely rewritten but it still uses
the Windows installer technology so there are places where it can fail. For
demo purposes you might want to look at SQL Server Compact Edition. It is
smaller and simpler than SQL Express or Access. It doesn't have all the
features of SQL Server Express but it is more compatible than Access would
be.

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ayee3tzx.aspx
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This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
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This article may provide you some pointers about using Unattended
installations with SQL Server.

SQL Server 2005 UnAttended Installations
http://www.devx.com/dbzone/Article/31648


--
Arnie Rowland, Ph.D.
Westwood Consulting, Inc

Most good judgment comes from experience.
Most experience comes from bad judgment.
- Anonymous

You can't help someone get up a hill without getting a little closer to the
top yourself.
- H. Norman Schwarzkopf


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jay,

I'll let the SQL Server experts here address the installation issues of SQL
Express. My limited experience with Express is that it is an easier install.

But if you're considering Access I thought you might be interested in SQL
Server Compact Edition:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=85e0c3ce-3fa1-453a-8ce9-af6ca20946c3&displaylang=en
Although the current download is RC1, release is expected for the first week
in December. Installation can be as simple as copying a few DLLs and a
database is a single file, but you would need to change your .NET 2.0 code
slightly to use the SqlCe namespace rather than SqlClient. SQL Compact also
does not support stored procedures or triggers, but then neither does
Access.

--
Ginny Caughey
Device Application Development MVP


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