Deploy SQL Server Express and CR with ClickOnce

[PeymaniuM]

Hi.
Well I have a database connected to my SQL Server on my computer. Well I just want to install my application on another computer.

First of all do I need to have SQL Server on that target machine?

Second do i need to connect my Database to ODBC Data source?

Third I connect my crystal report through SQL Server Database, and when i install my application on another computer and wanted to open the crystal report form I got Database Login Dialog Box which needs to enter userId and Password. Can some one help me with this probelm!

 

[zekeman]

Are the two machines networked together and do you want to
have both of them access the same database?

 

[kulrom]

Yes you need an installed instance on the target machine(s) ... at least SQL Express. About the CR's you suppose to be sure that SQL Server or SQL Express on the target PC has the same name and structure of database(s) if you want it to work properly.
Regards

why zekeman asked that question is because he probably thought about situation that you want to install the application on computer from local network (LAN). In that case you don't need SQL Server on the target machine.

 

[cjard]

Hi.
Well I have a database connected to my SQL Server on my computer. Well I just want to install my application on another computer.

You mean, you have an application that uses SQLS as a database back end, and you now want to distribute this application

First of all do I need to have SQL Server on that target machine?

No, but that machine has to have access to a SQL Server instance on whatever network it is on. If the target machine has no network connectivity to a SQL Server then you must install an instance and run it locally

Second do i need to connect my Database to ODBC Data source?

Databases dont typically conenct to ODBC DataSources.. its the other way round, ODBC DataSOurces are created to enable an ODBC compliant application to access a database. Theoretically any database that can be connected to by ODBC can work with a program that is ODBC compliant. If your app uses SQLS direct connectivity, then you do not need to create an ODBC datasource. If your app connects via ODBC and doesnt particularly care what database is conencted to the ODBC, then yes, you need an ODBC Data SOurce name to be created

Third I connect my crystal report through SQL Server Database, and when i install my application on another computer and wanted to open the crystal report form I got Database Login Dialog Box which needs to enter userId and Password. Can some one help me with this probelm!

Then you must have your app do the login work. I've typically found the best way to do this is run a query and then pass the result set to crystal. that way crystal never needs to connect to any database and you dont have to double the per-connection licensing costs if there are any

 

[PeymaniuM]

How do I install the instance of it

Hi.... How do I install the instance of SQL Server on the machine.
Do I need to install SQL Server application? Or I should chose SQL Server in Prerequires!???

 

[PeymaniuM]

Well you mean if I want to install my application in every single computer I need to install an SQL Server Express on that PC?
Is there any better way to access the database with out SQL server?

Thanks guys for you help!!!

 

[PeymaniuM]

For local machines is it useful and helpful to use SQL Server!
Coz I think with SQL server it's really hard to work with, specially with local machines and small LAN's!

Do you prefer I should use SQL Server or other DB's such as MS Access

 

[cjard]

Well you mean if I want to install my application in every single computer I need to install an SQL Server Express on that PC?
Is there any better way to access the database with out SQL server?

Thanks guys for you help!!!

if those pcs are not networked and have no access to a sql server instance then you need to install one

your second question doesnt make sense - sql server IS a database.. so to ask "how can i access a database without [a database]?" <--huh?
did you think that SQL Server was a database driver?

 

[cjard]

For local machines is it useful and helpful to use SQL Server!
Coz I think with SQL server it's really hard to work with, specially with local machines and small LAN's!

Do you prefer I should use SQL Server or other DB's such as MS Access

english lesson:
never put an apostrophe when talking about plurals (multiple things). the plurals of abbreviations such as LAN and DB are LANs and DBs. you dont say LAN's or DB's any more than you would say Network's or Database's when talking about more than one Network or Database.
the only time you use apostrophe is when you want to say "is" --> The LAN's small, the DB's slow = the LAN is small, the DB is slow

hmm, so for local machine SQL Server is helpful and useful, but its really hard to work with especially for local machines.. I cant work out whether you think its a good thing or a bad thing (or even if it is actually what you think it is), so here's a perspective correction:

SQL Server is an enterprise class database server. It's intended for handling millions of transactions in a scalable, redundant mission-critical deployment. It is not exactly intended for small workstations running software to hold grandma's record collection.
It is perhaps feasible that the next version of windows will come with a SQL server instance that runs on demand for a multitude of apps. The upshot is that if the local machine has a sql server instance running, you can reuse it for your app. If it doesnt, then you must run it. If it is not installed, you must install it.

SQL Server Express (SSX) is a little different to SQLS in that it's delibaerately trying to be small, desktop based rather than huge million transaction reliability. As a result, it doesnt run all the time, isnt a service, and doesnt have an agent. It only runs when required, and can be thought of as the best bits about SQLS, but with an access method more like Jet (Microsoft Access)

Microsoft has documentation on the use and deployment of SSX. Additionally, you can check out VistaDB that Neal (the owner of this site) promotes regularly. I've never reviewd it but it is designed to be a small DB that is portable like Access and reliable like SQLS, so ask Neal about whether it meets your specific requirements

 

[PeymaniuM]

How can we put our database in server's folder!

hello everyone!
I would like to ask a question.
How can I put my database in server's folder during the installation on another machine... I mean when I want to create setup project I want to configure my database files so during installation automatically install in "Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL1.0\MSSQL\DATA" instead of copying them over there manually!

By the way my database is defined in that folder!

 

[PeymaniuM]

Do I Need To Put Assemly File In Setup Project!?

Hi
Can anyone tell me what kind of assemblies I should put in my Setup Project?
I'm using SQL Server, Crystal Reports, Windows Application Forms and such things!

Do I need to assemblies or the prerequires (such as crystal report, SQL server, Windows installer,...) can do the thing!
If I need to put assembly where I should install them (In my folder or somewhere else)

 

[JohnH]

SQL Server Express (SSX) is a little different to SQLS in that it's delibaerately trying to be small, desktop based rather than huge million transaction reliability. As a result, it doesnt run all the time, isnt a service, and doesnt have an agent. It only runs when required, and can be thought of as the best bits about SQLS, but with an access method more like Jet (Microsoft Access)

I won't start an argument, but SQL Server Express (SSX) is a service, and this service runs all the time by default. Perhaps you confuse with the auto-close feature for connections and file handles? If you got it installed check the computers services, 4 services is installed by SSX actually. SQL Server Express uses the same database engine as the rest of SQL Server 2005, and all the programmatic features are the same. "SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Overview" article is perhaps interesting: http://msdn.microsoft.com/sql/express/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnsse/html/sseoverview.asp

PeymaniuM, it sounds as are you are using the Express versions of VB and SQL, if so all is taken care of with ClickOnce (CO) deployment, if you use SSX in application then this is also checked in CO prerequisites. There are not many options in CO - explore them - read the documentation.

By default only local access is enabled in SSX via shared memory technology, meaning each local installation will have to install its own SSX, but you can enable network access to share one SSX installation with several networked computers. (You must then also start the SQL Server Browser service.) Then consider this computer will hold a server responsibility and must also be running when other network computer wants access. If you decide to do something like this, you might also want to choose if also all other clients will have an additional SSX copy installed, or if you make one deployment package without SSX too. See the article link above for info about this.

Crystal Reports do have documentation about deployment too, as far as I know. I think also this question has been answered several times on there forums. Did you try the search facility of this site?

 

[PeymaniuM]

Hey johnH
For the crystal report I searched entire site and I couldnt get any useful answer!
About the SQL Server, Well right now i'm using VB.NET 2005 and Sql Server Express. and the computers are not networked together!
Today morning when I wanted to run SQL Server on my computer suddenly it gave me an error message that SQL Server cannot allow remote connections!
I dont know what is the problem now!

Working with SQL Server is really hard (Speacially for personal uses)

 

[JohnH]

http://www.vbdotnetforums.com/showthread.php?t=11336&highlight=crystal+report (Not sure about this one, but CR camp should have worked this out)
http://www.vbdotnetforums.com/showthread.php?t=8284&highlight=crystal+report (If they didn't you can add CR redist to prerequisites yourself, http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms165429.aspx)
http://www.vbdotnetforums.com/showthread.php?t=10397&highlight=crystal+report
http://www.vbdotnetforums.com/showthread.php?t=10303&highlight=crystal+report
http://www.vbdotnetforums.com/showthread.php?t=2947&highlight=crystal+merge+module
http://www.vbdotnetforums.com/showthread.php?t=5392&highlight=crystal+report

http://support.businessobjects.com/documentation/default.asp

 

[PeymaniuM]

By the way thanks john for your help!