Automatic installation

I have a small desktop application that is distributed in CD.
The client installs the application without any attendance, therefore I need that everything is completely automatic.
Is it possible to install SqlServer Express in that way?

hi,

AFAIK, this kind of install requires you to launch the sqlexpr.exe boostrap installer of SQLExpress... you can eventually provide the required parameters as command line params or using an ini file... personally I do prefer the command line options as no sensible information is required to be stored in the provided ini file...

or, if your app is designed accordingly, you could even use ClickOnce deployment..

regards

|||

Also check out the FAQ at the top of this forum, one of the questions answered is about configuring SQL Express during installation and covers the most common of the required parameters that Andrea mentions in what I hope is a more friendly and understandable way than BOL does.

Mike

|||Thank you, I will check your advice.
An additional question: do you believe that SqlServer Express can work absolutely without any administration?
That is to say: my clients are people without any technical knowledge and they usually communicate never with me.
Is SSE the correct database for this status, or should I use a desktop database like VFP or Access?|||

hi,

personally I do not think there're DBMS out there not requiring any kind of periodical administration.. even Access requires, from time to time, to compact read/write databases.. and so does SQL Server/SQLExpress...

you can "automate" usual admin tasks as some sort of "maintenance plans" (not supported feature on SQLExpress becouse of the absence of the SQL Agent) via other schedulers, like the builtin OS scheduler to execute a Transact-SQL script(s) to reindex user's database(s), check db integrity and the like and, obviously, define a backup strategy to protect against disaster scenarios...

you can perhaps have a look at http://www.sqldbatips.com/showarticle.asp?ID=27 and http://www.sqldbatips.com/showarticle.asp?ID=29 to get some start ideas..

personally I provide a set of Trasact-SQL scripts to be scheduled via the native OS scheduler to automate these tasks with an added feature.. I do provide a CLR assembly (you can get for free from my web site, amDBObj) to be "imported" as a CLR stored procedure to provide some sort of Database Mail missing feature, so that those scripts can notify me, the admins/it stuff that the task has failed...

regards