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

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

Automate MSDE can it be done,

hey, well just like the subject says, is there a way to automate MSDE, maybe
a script,... because MSDE is going to be distributed along with my software,
and if the client does not have MSDE installed, i would like to have a script
that automatically sets up MSDE... either before or after doesn't matter but
CAN this be done?
regards, Matt... thanks ahead for any help.
Are you using VS.NET? Have you checked out the MSDE Deployment Toolkit?
I've heard mixed reviews on it and have not tried it myself but that is one
option. It seems to be a bit buggy and AFAIK has not yet had a final
release. Check out The MSDE Deployment Toolkit (RC) in Action for more
information:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de.../msdedepl.asp.
I've seen recommendations for dotNetInstaller - Setup Bootstrapper for .NET
Application (http://www.devage.com/dotNetInstalle...Installer.html).
This seems like a better, more robust option. Looks like you should be able
to have it install MSDE if not present on the destination machine, and then
run a .SQL file to do the needed setup.
Terri Morton
MVP - ASP/ASP.NET
"Matt" <matt_brunet@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:18D31209-33D8-44BC-A1DE-A7816318226C@.microsoft.com...
> hey, well just like the subject says, is there a way to automate MSDE,
> maybe
> a script,... because MSDE is going to be distributed along with my
> software,
> and if the client does not have MSDE installed, i would like to have a
> script
> that automatically sets up MSDE... either before or after doesn't matter
> but
> CAN this be done?
> regards, Matt... thanks ahead for any help.
|||Hi Matt -
This may not be the officially recommended approach, but I've (so far) had
success with NOT embedding MSDE setup in my app installation. Instead, when
my app is run, I check to see what's installed. If MSDE is not installed, I
run the MSDE setup from my VB.NET app.
Note that I distribute the MSDE files with my install and simply copy them
to a specified directory. But I don't run setup until my app is running.
- Jeff
"Matt" <matt_brunet@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:18D31209-33D8-44BC-A1DE-A7816318226C@.microsoft.com...
> hey, well just like the subject says, is there a way to automate MSDE,
maybe
> a script,... because MSDE is going to be distributed along with my
software,
> and if the client does not have MSDE installed, i would like to have a
script
> that automatically sets up MSDE... either before or after doesn't matter
but
> CAN this be done?
> regards, Matt... thanks ahead for any help.