My Web application will eventually be hosted on someplace like GoDaddy.com.

NOTE: I am not asking anything about hosting my application on the Internet.
Rather, I'm asking about testing the application here on my desktop during
development.

On a new Vista system with Visual Studio 2005 installed, do I need to
install anything else in order to test it?

Specifically, I'm wondering about My SQL. With all the tons of stuff
included with VS, do I need to download and install this in order to connect
to a database on my test machine?

All comments welcome--I'm lost.

-- 
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:uXRL%23wo2HHA.5316@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> My Web application will eventually be hosted on someplace like 
> GoDaddy.com.
>
> NOTE: I am not asking anything about hosting my application on the 
> Internet.
> Rather, I'm asking about testing the application here on my desktop during
> development.
>
> On a new Vista system with Visual Studio 2005 installed, do I need to
> install anything else in order to test it?



You only need to install what you need, and do not need to install what you 
do not need. I know this is not anwsering anything, but no one knows what 
your project does/includes, hence the answer.



>
> Specifically, I'm wondering about My SQL. With all the tons of stuff
> included with VS, do I need to download and install this in order to 
> connect
> to a database on my test machine?



"The tons of stuff" in VS does not include MySQL. So, if your web app uses 
it, you must have it available for developing/testing somewhere either on 
your computer or on the reachable network.

VS2005 comes with SQL Server Express. However, in ADO.NET, you would use 
different data access namespace, which would results in possible different 
coding, so that code may not run on both MySQL and SQL Server/Express.



>
> All comments welcome--I'm lost.
>
> -- 
> Jonathan Wood
> SoftCircuits Programming
> http://www.softcircuits.com
> 

Download the MySQL bits for your OS. Then, you need a provider if you are 
going to use OLEDB instead of ODBC (speed primarily). Have not touched MySQL 
in quite some time, but a quick google search will find open source 
providers.

Vista is a bigger problem, as you have to make sure you have VS 2005 
properly patched and you have to deal with the IIS compatibility (if a web 
app) to get things rolling in IIS. I am waiting for VS 2008 for my final 
foray into Vista.

-- 
Gregory A. Beamer
MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA
http://gregorybeamer.spaces.live.com
Co-author: Microsoft Expression Web Bible (upcoming)

************************************************
Think outside the box!
************************************************
"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:uXRL%23wo2HHA.5316@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> My Web application will eventually be hosted on someplace like 
> GoDaddy.com.
>
> NOTE: I am not asking anything about hosting my application on the 
> Internet.
> Rather, I'm asking about testing the application here on my desktop during
> development.
>
> On a new Vista system with Visual Studio 2005 installed, do I need to
> install anything else in order to test it?
>
> Specifically, I'm wondering about My SQL. With all the tons of stuff
> included with VS, do I need to download and install this in order to 
> connect
> to a database on my test machine?
>
> All comments welcome--I'm lost.
>
> -- 
> Jonathan Wood
> SoftCircuits Programming
> http://www.softcircuits.com
> 

Gregory,


> Download the MySQL bits for your OS. Then, you need a provider if you are 
> going to use OLEDB instead of ODBC (speed primarily). Have not touched 
> MySQL in quite some time, but a quick google search will find open source 
> providers.


Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?

I will use native .NET database access. I do not know when or if OLEDB or 
ODBC are involved or not. I'm pretty new to this area.


> Vista is a bigger problem, as you have to make sure you have VS 2005 
> properly patched and you have to deal with the IIS compatibility (if a web 
> app) to get things rolling in IIS. I am waiting for VS 2008 for my final 
> foray into Vista.


Probably a good point, although a bit late for me now.

Thanks.

-- 
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

Norman,


> "The tons of stuff" in VS does not include MySQL. So, if your web app uses 
> it, you must have it available for developing/testing somewhere either on 
> your computer or on the reachable network.
>
> VS2005 comes with SQL Server Express. However, in ADO.NET, you would use 
> different data access namespace, which would results in possible different 
> coding, so that code may not run on both MySQL and SQL Server/Express.


I'm a long-time develop who is fairly new to .NET and very new to SQL-type 
stuff.

So VS *does* come with an SQL server. Well, this is what I've been driving 
at.

But why on Earth would VS include a server that requires a different 
namespace than what many people are using? I just don't get the logic there.

So if the company hosting my site only provides MySQL, then I need to 
download it in order to develop and test on my computer?

What if the company hosting my site provides SQL Server? Is that compatible 
with the one that comes with VS2005, or MySQL?

Thanks.

-- 
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

Ah no. See >>>

-- 
____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant, Dad, Grandpa
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com
www.betav.com/blog/billva
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:OeAsA1p2HHA.728@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> Gregory,
>
>> Download the MySQL bits for your OS. Then, you need a provider if you are 
>> going to use OLEDB instead of ODBC (speed primarily). Have not touched 
>> MySQL in quite some time, but a quick google search will find open source 
>> providers.
>
> Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?
>>>> Yes, it does. All Editions have SQL Express.


>
> I will use native .NET database access. I do not know when or if OLEDB or 
> ODBC are involved or not. I'm pretty new to this area.
>>>>> In my experience, the ODBC .NET data provider is faster than OLE DB as 
>>>>> it does not depend on COM providers.

>
>> Vista is a bigger problem, as you have to make sure you have VS 2005 
>> properly patched and you have to deal with the IIS compatibility (if a 
>> web app) to get things rolling in IIS. I am waiting for VS 2008 for my 
>> final foray into Vista.
>
> Probably a good point, although a bit late for me now.
>
> Thanks.
>
> -- 
> Jonathan Wood
> SoftCircuits Programming
> http://www.softcircuits.com
> 

William,


>> Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?
>>>>> Yes, it does. All Editions have SQL Express.


In another thread, you suggested I download MySQL from somewhere. Perhaps 
because I had mentioned it.

If my host supports both MySQL and SQL Server, is there any reason not to 
just use SQL Express that comes with VS2005 instead of downloading MySQL? At 
this stage, I have no idea which one is best, so I am certainly not looking 
to use one over the other. I'm just trying to make this as simple as 
absolutely possible.

Thanks.

-- 
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

It's not as simple as that. As I discuss in my book, SQL Server is a host 
database engine. It would require that the ISP permit you to install your 
database into their instance of SQL Server. Would it be the same version as 
you're using? Maybe, but only maybe. Would it support the functionality 
you're using? Maybe. SQL Express has features not exposed on other upscale 
versions and the upscale versions support features not exposed on the 
Express version. Would you connect to the host instance in the same way as 
you connect to your local SQL Server instance? Probably not.

So, how do you solve this problem? Well, you start with getting to know more 
about your ISP and the engine(s) they support and installing the target 
engine on your development system (or another local system). You'll also 
need to devise a connect strategy that permits your application to 
accommodate the security scheme installed on the ISP host.

Another approach is to choose a DBMS platform that does not require the host 
to do anything to support it--like SQL Server Compact Edition (see my EBook 
for details). This engine can be imbedded in the application deployment file 
and accessed like other DLLs.

hth

-- 
____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant, Dad, Grandpa
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com
www.betav.com/blog/billva
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:%23A4TIVq2HHA.5424@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

> William,
>
>>> Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?
>>>>>> Yes, it does. All Editions have SQL Express.
>
> In another thread, you suggested I download MySQL from somewhere. Perhaps 
> because I had mentioned it.
>
> If my host supports both MySQL and SQL Server, is there any reason not to 
> just use SQL Express that comes with VS2005 instead of downloading MySQL? 
> At this stage, I have no idea which one is best, so I am certainly not 
> looking to use one over the other. I'm just trying to make this as simple 
> as absolutely possible.
>
> Thanks.
>
> -- 
> Jonathan Wood
> SoftCircuits Programming
> http://www.softcircuits.com
> 

Unfortunately, while I have many years of programming experience, it's all 
been on the desktop using proprietary file and data formats written from 
scratch. I just don't have any experience with this sort of stuff. And I'm 
just not able to get what I need from your description.

So I'm still not clear on if I even have any SQL server installed on my 
system, what it might be, which ones it might be compatible with, etc. It 
seems the more I dig, the deeper the hole I find myself in. All I want to do 
is create a database in ASP.NET. Parts of ASP.NET are pretty straight 
forward. Apparently, databases are not.

I'll just look around for another avenue to approach this.

Thanks anyway.

Jonathan

"William Vaughn"  wrote in message 
news:OD7wcxq2HHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> It's not as simple as that. As I discuss in my book, SQL Server is a host 
> database engine. It would require that the ISP permit you to install your 
> database into their instance of SQL Server. Would it be the same version 
> as you're using? Maybe, but only maybe. Would it support the functionality 
> you're using? Maybe. SQL Express has features not exposed on other upscale 
> versions and the upscale versions support features not exposed on the 
> Express version. Would you connect to the host instance in the same way as 
> you connect to your local SQL Server instance? Probably not.
>
> So, how do you solve this problem? Well, you start with getting to know 
> more about your ISP and the engine(s) they support and installing the 
> target engine on your development system (or another local system). You'll 
> also need to devise a connect strategy that permits your application to 
> accommodate the security scheme installed on the ISP host.
>
> Another approach is to choose a DBMS platform that does not require the 
> host to do anything to support it--like SQL Server Compact Edition (see my 
> EBook for details). This engine can be imbedded in the application 
> deployment file and accessed like other DLLs.
>
> hth
>
> -- 
> ____________________________________
> William (Bill) Vaughn
> Author, Mentor, Consultant, Dad, Grandpa
> Microsoft MVP
> INETA Speaker
> www.betav.com
> www.betav.com/blog/billva
> Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no 
> rights.
> __________________________________
> Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
> Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
> and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> "Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
> news:%23A4TIVq2HHA.5424@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> William,
>>
>>>> Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?
>>>>>>> Yes, it does. All Editions have SQL Express.
>>
>> In another thread, you suggested I download MySQL from somewhere. Perhaps 
>> because I had mentioned it.
>>
>> If my host supports both MySQL and SQL Server, is there any reason not to 
>> just use SQL Express that comes with VS2005 instead of downloading MySQL? 
>> At this stage, I have no idea which one is best, so I am certainly not 
>> looking to use one over the other. I'm just trying to make this as simple 
>> as absolutely possible.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> -- 
>> Jonathan Wood
>> SoftCircuits Programming
>> http://www.softcircuits.com
>>
> 

Don't feel alone. I did most of my work in proprietary systems at EDS and 
elsewhere. I think reading my book might get you off on the right foot. The 
architectures chapter and "How SQL Server Works" were written specifically 
for those with your kind of experience. While I don't get into ASP designs 
much, I show where that approach fits.
Use the Services.msc snapin to look for SQL Server instance services. That 
should tell you whether or not it's installed.

-- 
____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant, Dad, Grandpa
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com
www.betav.com/blog/billva
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:OETvYar2HHA.3400@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

> Unfortunately, while I have many years of programming experience, it's all 
> been on the desktop using proprietary file and data formats written from 
> scratch. I just don't have any experience with this sort of stuff. And I'm 
> just not able to get what I need from your description.
>
> So I'm still not clear on if I even have any SQL server installed on my 
> system, what it might be, which ones it might be compatible with, etc. It 
> seems the more I dig, the deeper the hole I find myself in. All I want to 
> do is create a database in ASP.NET. Parts of ASP.NET are pretty straight 
> forward. Apparently, databases are not.
>
> I'll just look around for another avenue to approach this.
>
> Thanks anyway.
>
> Jonathan
>
> "William Vaughn"  wrote in message 
> news:OD7wcxq2HHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> It's not as simple as that. As I discuss in my book, SQL Server is a host 
>> database engine. It would require that the ISP permit you to install your 
>> database into their instance of SQL Server. Would it be the same version 
>> as you're using? Maybe, but only maybe. Would it support the 
>> functionality you're using? Maybe. SQL Express has features not exposed 
>> on other upscale versions and the upscale versions support features not 
>> exposed on the Express version. Would you connect to the host instance in 
>> the same way as you connect to your local SQL Server instance? Probably 
>> not.
>>
>> So, how do you solve this problem? Well, you start with getting to know 
>> more about your ISP and the engine(s) they support and installing the 
>> target engine on your development system (or another local system). 
>> You'll also need to devise a connect strategy that permits your 
>> application to accommodate the security scheme installed on the ISP host.
>>
>> Another approach is to choose a DBMS platform that does not require the 
>> host to do anything to support it--like SQL Server Compact Edition (see 
>> my EBook for details). This engine can be imbedded in the application 
>> deployment file and accessed like other DLLs.
>>
>> hth
>>
>> -- 
>> ____________________________________
>> William (Bill) Vaughn
>> Author, Mentor, Consultant, Dad, Grandpa
>> Microsoft MVP
>> INETA Speaker
>> www.betav.com
>> www.betav.com/blog/billva
>> Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
>> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no 
>> rights.
>> __________________________________
>> Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
>> Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
>> and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> "Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
>> news:%23A4TIVq2HHA.5424@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>> William,
>>>
>>>>> Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?
>>>>>>>> Yes, it does. All Editions have SQL Express.
>>>
>>> In another thread, you suggested I download MySQL from somewhere. 
>>> Perhaps because I had mentioned it.
>>>
>>> If my host supports both MySQL and SQL Server, is there any reason not 
>>> to just use SQL Express that comes with VS2005 instead of downloading 
>>> MySQL? At this stage, I have no idea which one is best, so I am 
>>> certainly not looking to use one over the other. I'm just trying to make 
>>> this as simple as absolutely possible.
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Jonathan Wood
>>> SoftCircuits Programming
>>> http://www.softcircuits.com
>>>
>>
> 

William,


> Don't feel alone. I did most of my work in proprietary systems at EDS and 
> elsewhere. I think reading my book might get you off on the right foot. 
> The architectures chapter and "How SQL Server Works" were written 
> specifically for those with your kind of experience. While I don't get 
> into ASP designs much, I show where that approach fits.
> Use the Services.msc snapin to look for SQL Server instance services. That 
> should tell you whether or not it's installed.


Thanks for your comments. I guess I really need a focused path to get 
something up and running RELIABLY, and then I can expand out from there. 
Instead, I don't even know which SQL server I have, which one I need, how 
best to connect to it, so I can't even run the simplest of database 
applications.

The fact is that your book is a bit overwhelming for me right now. It's a 
ton of pages and at this stage, I would not be able to understand many of 
those pages. It looks like a great resource that I hope to make good use of. 
Hopefully, I can do so before it becomes outdated. But since I'm also trying 
to learn ASP.NET overall (and trying to sell a house, and dealing with 
health issues, etc, etc.), I'm not sure your book is the best one to start 
with. I picked up a couple of ASP.NET ones and my start with those.

I will search around to see if I can figure out what Services.msc is.

Thanks again.

Jonathan

William,


> Use the Services.msc snapin to look for SQL Server instance services. That 
> should tell you whether or not it's installed.


Although a little tricky to find on Vista, I was able to. It contains the 
following SQL-related entries.

SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS)
SQL Server Active Directory Helper
SQL Server Browser
SQL Server VSS Writer

So I would say I have SQL Express installed and ready to go. So if I went 
with a host such as GoDaddy.com or Brinkster, who both state they support 
MySQL and SQL Server, it would seem that SQL Express should work just find 
for testing on my production machine. And should, for the most part, be 
compatible with SQL Server on these hosts.

Jonathan

I've been where you are (many years ago) so I understand your frustration. 
That's why I wrote the books the way I did.
Okay, you do seem to have SQL Express installed. However, as I said, there 
can be issues. Let's say the ISP does support SQL Server. It still must 
permit you to install (attach) your database to their server instance. I 
would not assume they are running SQL Server Express (although if the ISP is 
small, they might be). I would write your application using SQL Server as if 
it was on the local system, but not using the User Instance = True option 
(that Visual Studio tends to do by default).

Yes, there are some great ASP.NET books out there and I depend on them too 
as I don't do much ASP.NET work (I create Windows Forms applications and XML 
services.) However, not many of them focus on the special issues associated 
with SQL Server. This can be a bit daunting at first.

Good luck and keep asking questions. We'll help whenever we can.

-- 
____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant, Dad, Grandpa
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com
www.betav.com/blog/billva
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:eg73mWt2HHA.5740@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> William,
>
>> Use the Services.msc snapin to look for SQL Server instance services. 
>> That should tell you whether or not it's installed.
>
> Although a little tricky to find on Vista, I was able to. It contains the 
> following SQL-related entries.
>
> SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS)
> SQL Server Active Directory Helper
> SQL Server Browser
> SQL Server VSS Writer
>
> So I would say I have SQL Express installed and ready to go. So if I went 
> with a host such as GoDaddy.com or Brinkster, who both state they support 
> MySQL and SQL Server, it would seem that SQL Express should work just find 
> for testing on my production machine. And should, for the most part, be 
> compatible with SQL Server on these hosts.
>
> Jonathan
> 

William,


> I've been where you are (many years ago) so I understand your frustration.


Well, I got the impression you had probably been working with servers and 
databases before then, but maybe not.


> Okay, you do seem to have SQL Express installed. However, as I said, there 
> can be issues. Let's say the ISP does support SQL Server. It still must 
> permit you to install (attach) your database to their server instance.


Reading some docs at GoDaddy.com, they said I needed a script in order to 
create and populate a database on their server. So I don't know what the 
ramifications are there but I assumed that was the approach I'd need to 
take. Does that sound right?


> I would not assume they are running SQL Server Express (although if the 
> ISP is small, they might be). I would write your application using SQL 
> Server as if it was on the local system, but not using the User Instance = 
> True option (that Visual Studio tends to do by default).


No, both hosting companies support MySQL and SQL Server (not SQL Server 
Express). My comment was expressing my impression that SQL Server would be 
largely compatible with SQL Server Express. So, unless I was doing any 
unusual stuff, I should be able to test using SQL Express, and then upload 
to the host and run SQL Server. Does that seem like it could work?


> Yes, there are some great ASP.NET books out there and I depend on them too 
> as I don't do much ASP.NET work (I create Windows Forms applications and 
> XML services.) However, not many of them focus on the special issues 
> associated with SQL Server. This can be a bit daunting at first.


I guess I don't want to wait until after reading your entire book before my 
first application. I need to get up and running because the best way I learn 
is by doing. So, yeah, I need a more direct approach. Then I could hopefully 
use your book to go back and get more detailed information as I'm able to 
absorb it.

Thanks.

-- 
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

First a few notes.

You can develop locally with MS SQL (Microsoft SQL Server Express 2005). You 
can install it when you install VS.

Realize, however, that MySQL has different features, so you will have to 
remain VERY ansi compliant with your SQL statements if you want to go to 
MySQL later and not have issues.

To be safe, you should download MySQL (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/) 
Community Edition and an open source .NET Provider (something like 
http://www.mysql.com/products/connector/net/). This will guarantee you can 
script and install your database on your production machine.


REST INLINE


"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:OeAsA1p2HHA.728@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> Gregory,
>
>> Download the MySQL bits for your OS. Then, you need a provider if you are 
>> going to use OLEDB instead of ODBC (speed primarily). Have not touched 
>> MySQL in quite some time, but a quick google search will find open source 
>> providers.
>
> Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?


VS includes SQL Server Express, but it is different from MySQL.


> I will use native .NET database access. I do not know when or if OLEDB or 
> ODBC are involved or not. I'm pretty new to this area.


Use OLEDB, if you can.


>> Vista is a bigger problem, as you have to make sure you have VS 2005 
>> properly patched and you have to deal with the IIS compatibility (if a 
>> web app) to get things rolling in IIS. I am waiting for VS 2008 for my 
>> final foray into Vista.
>
> Probably a good point, although a bit late for me now.


Have fun!

-- 
Gregory A. Beamer
MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA
http://gregorybeamer.spaces.live.com
Co-author: Microsoft Expression Web Bible (upcoming)

************************************************
Think outside the box!
************************************************

Yes, you can use SQL Express and then move to a full SQL Server.

There are two ways to accomplish the move. One is to have them attach the 
databse you create locally. This is generally harder than it appears, as 
most ISPs do not cooperate.

The other is to script the databse, which you should be able to do from the 
Express Manager. YOu then run the script through the SQL console they 
provide. You will also have to seed any tables that act as enumerations 
("type" tables).

-- 
Gregory A. Beamer
MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA
http://gregorybeamer.spaces.live.com
Co-author: Microsoft Expression Web Bible (upcoming)

************************************************
Think outside the box!
************************************************
"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:eg73mWt2HHA.5740@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> William,
>
>> Use the Services.msc snapin to look for SQL Server instance services. 
>> That should tell you whether or not it's installed.
>
> Although a little tricky to find on Vista, I was able to. It contains the 
> following SQL-related entries.
>
> SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS)
> SQL Server Active Directory Helper
> SQL Server Browser
> SQL Server VSS Writer
>
> So I would say I have SQL Express installed and ready to go. So if I went 
> with a host such as GoDaddy.com or Brinkster, who both state they support 
> MySQL and SQL Server, it would seem that SQL Express should work just find 
> for testing on my production machine. And should, for the most part, be 
> compatible with SQL Server on these hosts.
>
> Jonathan
> 

I've been working with data and computers that manage it since the early 
70's. I taught myself 8080 and Z80 assembly language when the first PC kits 
came out. Yes, I've been a novice too--partly self-taught, partly 
college-trained, but most of my experience comes from working in the 
industry for almost 35 years.

Mr. Beamer is right. You can script the database. SQL Server Management 
Studio can do this for you. This does not populate the database tables with 
data. Using SQL Server is very different in many respects than Oracle, MySQL 
or JET or any other brand of DBMS. The way you approach problems is going to 
leverage the strengths, features and bugs in SQL Server. These approaches 
will not map 1:1 to other DBMS engines. Creating a functional and 
well-performing generic application that can run on a variety (even two) 
backends is a challenge for the best developers--not something that should 
be attempted for a novice.

hth

-- 
____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant, Dad, Grandpa
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com
www.betav.com/blog/billva
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Cowboy (Gregory A. Beamer)" <NoSpamMgbworld@comcast.netNoSpamM> wrote in 
message news:%23eUlTV32HHA.2752@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

> Yes, you can use SQL Express and then move to a full SQL Server.
>
> There are two ways to accomplish the move. One is to have them attach the 
> databse you create locally. This is generally harder than it appears, as 
> most ISPs do not cooperate.
>
> The other is to script the databse, which you should be able to do from 
> the Express Manager. YOu then run the script through the SQL console they 
> provide. You will also have to seed any tables that act as enumerations 
> ("type" tables).
>
> -- 
> Gregory A. Beamer
> MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA
> http://gregorybeamer.spaces.live.com
> Co-author: Microsoft Expression Web Bible (upcoming)
>
> ************************************************
> Think outside the box!
> ************************************************
> "Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
> news:eg73mWt2HHA.5740@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> William,
>>
>>> Use the Services.msc snapin to look for SQL Server instance services. 
>>> That should tell you whether or not it's installed.
>>
>> Although a little tricky to find on Vista, I was able to. It contains the 
>> following SQL-related entries.
>>
>> SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS)
>> SQL Server Active Directory Helper
>> SQL Server Browser
>> SQL Server VSS Writer
>>
>> So I would say I have SQL Express installed and ready to go. So if I went 
>> with a host such as GoDaddy.com or Brinkster, who both state they support 
>> MySQL and SQL Server, it would seem that SQL Express should work just 
>> find for testing on my production machine. And should, for the most part, 
>> be compatible with SQL Server on these hosts.
>>
>> Jonathan
>>
>
> 

Gregory,


> You can develop locally with MS SQL (Microsoft SQL Server Express 2005). 
> You can install it when you install VS.


Okay, thank you. Is it optional? Does there happen to be an easy way to 
determine if I installed it?


> Realize, however, that MySQL has different features, so you will have to 
> remain VERY ansi compliant with your SQL statements if you want to go to 
> MySQL later and not have issues.


My mantra is that I don't want to "do" database administration. I want to 
write applications, like I did before. So I can't for the life of me imagine 
why would I not just stay with SQL Server instead of bouncing between 
servers?


>> I will use native .NET database access. I do not know when or if OLEDB or 
>> ODBC are involved or not. I'm pretty new to this area.
>
> Use OLEDB, if you can.


As indicated above, I do not know when or if OLEDB or ODBC are involved or 
not. I will use native .NET database access and will have no idea if OLEDB 
is involved, unless I read about that or someone explains it to me.


>> Probably a good point, although a bit late for me now.
>
> Have fun!


Too late now for that too.

-- 
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

BTW, the connection string "Server=(localhost)\SQLEXPRESS;Integrated 
security=SSPI;Initial Catalog=BlackBelt" fails with the error:

"An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. When 
connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that 
under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections. 
(provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating 
Server/Instance Specified)"

Otherwise, I'd now be developing my app instead of looking into database 
issues (which I don't like and am beginning to dispise).

Wouldn't that a valid connection string if SQL Express was installed?

Thanks.

-- 
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com


"Cowboy (Gregory A. Beamer)" <NoSpamMgbworld@comcast.netNoSpamM> wrote in 
message news:eLHvNT32HHA.4476@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

> First a few notes.
>
> You can develop locally with MS SQL (Microsoft SQL Server Express 2005). 
> You can install it when you install VS.
>
> Realize, however, that MySQL has different features, so you will have to 
> remain VERY ansi compliant with your SQL statements if you want to go to 
> MySQL later and not have issues.
>
> To be safe, you should download MySQL (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/) 
> Community Edition and an open source .NET Provider (something like 
> http://www.mysql.com/products/connector/net/). This will guarantee you can 
> script and install your database on your production machine.
>
>
> REST INLINE
>
>
> "Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
> news:OeAsA1p2HHA.728@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> Gregory,
>>
>>> Download the MySQL bits for your OS. Then, you need a provider if you 
>>> are going to use OLEDB instead of ODBC (speed primarily). Have not 
>>> touched MySQL in quite some time, but a quick google search will find 
>>> open source providers.
>>
>> Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?
>
> VS includes SQL Server Express, but it is different from MySQL.
>
>> I will use native .NET database access. I do not know when or if OLEDB or 
>> ODBC are involved or not. I'm pretty new to this area.
>
> Use OLEDB, if you can.
>
>>> Vista is a bigger problem, as you have to make sure you have VS 2005 
>>> properly patched and you have to deal with the IIS compatibility (if a 
>>> web app) to get things rolling in IIS. I am waiting for VS 2008 for my 
>>> final foray into Vista.
>>
>> Probably a good point, although a bit late for me now.
>
> Have fun!
>
> -- 
> Gregory A. Beamer
> MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA
> http://gregorybeamer.spaces.live.com
> Co-author: Microsoft Expression Web Bible (upcoming)
>
> ************************************************
> Think outside the box!
> ************************************************
> 

Change the "(localhost)" to "." or "(local)" to refer to the local system. 
This also assumes that you have rights to the default database "BlackBelt". 
Is the service started? Start | SQL Server Configuration Manager to check.

See Chapter 9 (and make sure to download the new PDF version).

-- 
____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant, Dad, Grandpa
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com
www.betav.com/blog/billva
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:%231EG9eG3HHA.5164@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> BTW, the connection string "Server=(localhost)\SQLEXPRESS;Integrated 
> security=SSPI;Initial Catalog=BlackBelt" fails with the error:
>
> "An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. When 
> connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that 
> under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections. 
> (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating 
> Server/Instance Specified)"
>
> Otherwise, I'd now be developing my app instead of looking into database 
> issues (which I don't like and am beginning to dispise).
>
> Wouldn't that a valid connection string if SQL Express was installed?
>
> Thanks.
>
> -- 
> Jonathan Wood
> SoftCircuits Programming
> http://www.softcircuits.com
>
>
> "Cowboy (Gregory A. Beamer)" <NoSpamMgbworld@comcast.netNoSpamM> wrote in 
> message news:eLHvNT32HHA.4476@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> First a few notes.
>>
>> You can develop locally with MS SQL (Microsoft SQL Server Express 2005). 
>> You can install it when you install VS.
>>
>> Realize, however, that MySQL has different features, so you will have to 
>> remain VERY ansi compliant with your SQL statements if you want to go to 
>> MySQL later and not have issues.
>>
>> To be safe, you should download MySQL (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/) 
>> Community Edition and an open source .NET Provider (something like 
>> http://www.mysql.com/products/connector/net/). This will guarantee you 
>> can script and install your database on your production machine.
>>
>>
>> REST INLINE
>>
>>
>> "Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
>> news:OeAsA1p2HHA.728@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> Gregory,
>>>
>>>> Download the MySQL bits for your OS. Then, you need a provider if you 
>>>> are going to use OLEDB instead of ODBC (speed primarily). Have not 
>>>> touched MySQL in quite some time, but a quick google search will find 
>>>> open source providers.
>>>
>>> Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?
>>
>> VS includes SQL Server Express, but it is different from MySQL.
>>
>>> I will use native .NET database access. I do not know when or if OLEDB 
>>> or ODBC are involved or not. I'm pretty new to this area.
>>
>> Use OLEDB, if you can.
>>
>>>> Vista is a bigger problem, as you have to make sure you have VS 2005 
>>>> properly patched and you have to deal with the IIS compatibility (if a 
>>>> web app) to get things rolling in IIS. I am waiting for VS 2008 for my 
>>>> final foray into Vista.
>>>
>>> Probably a good point, although a bit late for me now.
>>
>> Have fun!
>>
>> -- 
>> Gregory A. Beamer
>> MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA
>> http://gregorybeamer.spaces.live.com
>> Co-author: Microsoft Expression Web Bible (upcoming)
>>
>> ************************************************
>> Think outside the box!
>> ************************************************
>>
> 

William,


> Change the "(localhost)" to "." or "(local)" to refer to the local system.


Either of these changes the error to: "Cannot open database "BlackBelt" 
requested by the login. The login failed. Login failed for user 
'Jonathan-PC\Jonathan'."

Note that (localhost) worked on my other computer and I see localhost used 
in several examples. So there's yet something else that doesn't make sense. 
(I'm sure you discuss this in your book.) But the error seems more 
meaningful this time. If I right-click on the database (BlackBelt.mdf) in 
the Server Explorer and select the Modify Connection command, I see 'Use 
Windows Authentication' is selected, for which I obviously have correct 
authentication. And if I click 'Test Connection' from this same dialog, it 
reports that the connection succeeded.


> This also assumes that you have rights to the default database 
> "BlackBelt".


I created the database. I can see and open it in VS. I'm running on Vista as 
an administrator. So, no, I guess I don't. :-/


> Is the service started? Start | SQL Server Configuration Manager to check.


Err...

SQL Server 2005 Services
- SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS) = Running
- SQL Server Browser = Stopped
SQL Server 2005 Network Configuration
- Protocols for SQLEXPRESS
   - Shared Memory = Enabled
   - Named Pipes = Disabled
   - TCP/IP = Disabled
   - VIA = Disabled
SQL Native Client Configuration
- Client Protocols
   - Shared Memory = Enabled
   - Named Pipes = Enabled
   - TCP/IP = Enabled
   - VIA = Disabled
Aliases
  (Empty)


> See Chapter 9 (and make sure to download the new PDF version).


PDF version of chapter 9?

Thanks.

-- 
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

No offence. All your posts indicate that you want to get on coding your app 
quick, but unwilling to spend time on database server study, although you 
need to use one.

Database server, such as SQL Server, MySQL and Oracle, itself is a VERY 
complicated server software and you MUST do the some very basic study before 
you can use it in meaningful way. Take the error you ran int as an example. 
It has been asked over in different NGs for thousands of times (if not 
more). The main reason for that is newbies just jump on .NET coding without 
due study on what SQL Server is. As developer, if you want to access any 
database server, you need to know how to access it with appropriate security 
requirements met. Nowadays, when a server software (Wondows server OS, SQL 
Server, ....) is installed, by default, all its links to outside (hence the 
potential security holes) are blocked. You need to configure it to open 
those links/holes individually when only you need it.

As for SQL Server/Express, after installing it, you ned to open it to the 
network if you are to access it from network; you need to create needed SQL 
Server logins, unless you only access it as local admin (on Vista, even 
local admin does not gain access to it automatically). If you need to use 
user/password to gain access, you need to enable mixed security mode... It 
is absolutely no go to use SQL Server/Express (or other database server, for 
that matter) without knowing such basic things, IMO. Sometimes, one can get 
away without knowing too much on his developing machine, because, the 
developer verylikely is the local admin on the box. But it would be certain 
that his application would not run once deployed to other computer, or not 
even able to be installed.

So, sitting down for a couple of days, or a week, studying on one of the 
database server of your choice before jumping to the coding would definitely 
paid off for the time spent, and all your basic questions would be answered 
by yourself.

Sorry. I really felt this is the better direction and easiest way to go.


"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:%231EG9eG3HHA.5164@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> BTW, the connection string "Server=(localhost)\SQLEXPRESS;Integrated 
> security=SSPI;Initial Catalog=BlackBelt" fails with the error:
>
> "An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. When 
> connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that 
> under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections. 
> (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating 
> Server/Instance Specified)"
>
> Otherwise, I'd now be developing my app instead of looking into database 
> issues (which I don't like and am beginning to dispise).
>
> Wouldn't that a valid connection string if SQL Express was installed?
>
> Thanks.
>
> -- 
> Jonathan Wood
> SoftCircuits Programming
> http://www.softcircuits.com
>
>
> "Cowboy (Gregory A. Beamer)" <NoSpamMgbworld@comcast.netNoSpamM> wrote in 
> message news:eLHvNT32HHA.4476@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> First a few notes.
>>
>> You can develop locally with MS SQL (Microsoft SQL Server Express 2005). 
>> You can install it when you install VS.
>>
>> Realize, however, that MySQL has different features, so you will have to 
>> remain VERY ansi compliant with your SQL statements if you want to go to 
>> MySQL later and not have issues.
>>
>> To be safe, you should download MySQL (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/) 
>> Community Edition and an open source .NET Provider (something like 
>> http://www.mysql.com/products/connector/net/). This will guarantee you 
>> can script and install your database on your production machine.
>>
>>
>> REST INLINE
>>
>>
>> "Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
>> news:OeAsA1p2HHA.728@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> Gregory,
>>>
>>>> Download the MySQL bits for your OS. Then, you need a provider if you 
>>>> are going to use OLEDB instead of ODBC (speed primarily). Have not 
>>>> touched MySQL in quite some time, but a quick google search will find 
>>>> open source providers.
>>>
>>> Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?
>>
>> VS includes SQL Server Express, but it is different from MySQL.
>>
>>> I will use native .NET database access. I do not know when or if OLEDB 
>>> or ODBC are involved or not. I'm pretty new to this area.
>>
>> Use OLEDB, if you can.
>>
>>>> Vista is a bigger problem, as you have to make sure you have VS 2005 
>>>> properly patched and you have to deal with the IIS compatibility (if a 
>>>> web app) to get things rolling in IIS. I am waiting for VS 2008 for my 
>>>> final foray into Vista.
>>>
>>> Probably a good point, although a bit late for me now.
>>
>> Have fun!
>>
>> -- 
>> Gregory A. Beamer
>> MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA
>> http://gregorybeamer.spaces.live.com
>> Co-author: Microsoft Expression Web Bible (upcoming)
>>
>> ************************************************
>> Think outside the box!
>> ************************************************
>>
> 

Norman,


> No offence. All your posts indicate that you want to get on coding your 
> app quick, but unwilling to spend time on database server study, although 
> you need to use one.


I've spent many years helping others in these newsgroups on various 
programming topics, and so when I am trying to do the very thing you suggest 
(learn about SQL Server), I look to see if anyone is willing and able to 
help me in these newsgroups regarding a few specific issues I'm having. It 
is my view that this is the very purpose of the newsgroups.

I've purchased several books that include detailed information and will 
continue to read them as I'm able. But the fact is that all development has 
now stopped because I cannot get an app that was working on another computer 
to work on my new one. .NET requires me to learn many new technologies and 
SQL Server is only one of them.

I'm sorry if you see something wrong with all this.


> As for SQL Server/Express, after installing it, you ned to open it to the 
> network if you are to access it from network;


I'm not accessing it from a network. And I'm able to access it from within 
VS. So I really don't see why my application (running on my desktop) should 
be able to as well.

-- 
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

I was finally able to get this working this morning. I did so by copying the 
connection string from the database properties, which changed it from:

"Server=.\SQLEXPRESS;Integrated security=SSPI;Initial Catalog=BlackBelt"

to:

"Data 
Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=C:\Users\Jonathan\Documents\Visual 
Studio 2005\WebSites\BlackBelt\App_Data\BlackBelt.mdf;Integrated 
Security=True;User Instance=True"

If anyone sees any obvious reasons why the second worked while the first 
does not, I'd love to hear about it. Otherwise, I can continue development 
and, hopefully, I'll have gained a better understanding of why it did not 
work before I have to move my database to a server or another computer.

Thanks.

Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

"William Vaughn"  wrote in message 
news:uKH8N6G3HHA.3940@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> Change the "(localhost)" to "." or "(local)" to refer to the local system. 
> This also assumes that you have rights to the default database 
> "BlackBelt". Is the service started? Start | SQL Server Configuration 
> Manager to check.
>
> See Chapter 9 (and make sure to download the new PDF version).
>
> -- 
> ____________________________________
> William (Bill) Vaughn
> Author, Mentor, Consultant, Dad, Grandpa
> Microsoft MVP
> INETA Speaker
> www.betav.com
> www.betav.com/blog/billva
> Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no 
> rights.
> __________________________________
> Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
> Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
> and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> "Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
> news:%231EG9eG3HHA.5164@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> BTW, the connection string "Server=(localhost)\SQLEXPRESS;Integrated 
>> security=SSPI;Initial Catalog=BlackBelt" fails with the error:
>>
>> "An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. 
>> When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the 
>> fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote 
>> connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error 
>> Locating Server/Instance Specified)"
>>
>> Otherwise, I'd now be developing my app instead of looking into database 
>> issues (which I don't like and am beginning to dispise).
>>
>> Wouldn't that a valid connection string if SQL Express was installed?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> -- 
>> Jonathan Wood
>> SoftCircuits Programming
>> http://www.softcircuits.com
>>
>>
>> "Cowboy (Gregory A. Beamer)" <NoSpamMgbworld@comcast.netNoSpamM> wrote in 
>> message news:eLHvNT32HHA.4476@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>> First a few notes.
>>>
>>> You can develop locally with MS SQL (Microsoft SQL Server Express 2005). 
>>> You can install it when you install VS.
>>>
>>> Realize, however, that MySQL has different features, so you will have to 
>>> remain VERY ansi compliant with your SQL statements if you want to go to 
>>> MySQL later and not have issues.
>>>
>>> To be safe, you should download MySQL (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/) 
>>> Community Edition and an open source .NET Provider (something like 
>>> http://www.mysql.com/products/connector/net/). This will guarantee you 
>>> can script and install your database on your production machine.
>>>
>>>
>>> REST INLINE
>>>
>>>
>>> "Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
>>> news:OeAsA1p2HHA.728@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>> Gregory,
>>>>
>>>>> Download the MySQL bits for your OS. Then, you need a provider if you 
>>>>> are going to use OLEDB instead of ODBC (speed primarily). Have not 
>>>>> touched MySQL in quite some time, but a quick google search will find 
>>>>> open source providers.
>>>>
>>>> Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?
>>>
>>> VS includes SQL Server Express, but it is different from MySQL.
>>>
>>>> I will use native .NET database access. I do not know when or if OLEDB 
>>>> or ODBC are involved or not. I'm pretty new to this area.
>>>
>>> Use OLEDB, if you can.
>>>
>>>>> Vista is a bigger problem, as you have to make sure you have VS 2005 
>>>>> properly patched and you have to deal with the IIS compatibility (if a 
>>>>> web app) to get things rolling in IIS. I am waiting for VS 2008 for my 
>>>>> final foray into Vista.
>>>>
>>>> Probably a good point, although a bit late for me now.
>>>
>>> Have fun!
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Gregory A. Beamer
>>> MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA
>>> http://gregorybeamer.spaces.live.com
>>> Co-author: Microsoft Expression Web Bible (upcoming)
>>>
>>> ************************************************
>>> Think outside the box!
>>> ************************************************
>>>
>>
> 

You finally got it to work, because you used SQL Server Express' User 
Instance, which saved you from learning the SQL Server's security. This is 
both good thing and bad thing.

User Instance is only supported by SQL Server Express, not by all other 
edition of SQL Server2005. So, if you did not fully understand what User 
Insdtance means, your app most likely does not work once you install to 
other computer, unless you specificly design your app use User Instance. For 
example, the database on a USER INSTANCE cannot be shared with other users.

Problem like you can connect to SQL Server from VS, but not from your app, 
is typical when not fully understanding SQL Server security.

Really, I am trying to help here, and I do think the most easiest and 
straightforward help to to point out what you need in order to user database 
server, such as SQL Server, which is to study some very basic and necessary 
about SQL Server, rather than simply giving you a ConnectionString that 
works.


"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:uhN52oQ3HHA.5724@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

>I was finally able to get this working this morning. I did so by copying 
>the connection string from the database properties, which changed it from:
>
> "Server=.\SQLEXPRESS;Integrated security=SSPI;Initial Catalog=BlackBelt"
>
> to:
>
> "Data 
> Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=C:\Users\Jonathan\Documents\Visual 
> Studio 2005\WebSites\BlackBelt\App_Data\BlackBelt.mdf;Integrated 
> Security=True;User Instance=True"
>
> If anyone sees any obvious reasons why the second worked while the first 
> does not, I'd love to hear about it. Otherwise, I can continue development 
> and, hopefully, I'll have gained a better understanding of why it did not 
> work before I have to move my database to a server or another computer.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Jonathan Wood
> SoftCircuits Programming
> http://www.softcircuits.com
>
> "William Vaughn"  wrote in message 
> news:uKH8N6G3HHA.3940@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> Change the "(localhost)" to "." or "(local)" to refer to the local 
>> system. This also assumes that you have rights to the default database 
>> "BlackBelt". Is the service started? Start | SQL Server Configuration 
>> Manager to check.
>>
>> See Chapter 9 (and make sure to download the new PDF version).
>>
>> -- 
>> ____________________________________
>> William (Bill) Vaughn
>> Author, Mentor, Consultant, Dad, Grandpa
>> Microsoft MVP
>> INETA Speaker
>> www.betav.com
>> www.betav.com/blog/billva
>> Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
>> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no 
>> rights.
>> __________________________________
>> Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
>> Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
>> and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> "Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
>> news:%231EG9eG3HHA.5164@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> BTW, the connection string "Server=(localhost)\SQLEXPRESS;Integrated 
>>> security=SSPI;Initial Catalog=BlackBelt" fails with the error:
>>>
>>> "An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. 
>>> When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the 
>>> fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote 
>>> connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error 
>>> Locating Server/Instance Specified)"
>>>
>>> Otherwise, I'd now be developing my app instead of looking into database 
>>> issues (which I don't like and am beginning to dispise).
>>>
>>> Wouldn't that a valid connection string if SQL Express was installed?
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Jonathan Wood
>>> SoftCircuits Programming
>>> http://www.softcircuits.com
>>>
>>>
>>> "Cowboy (Gregory A. Beamer)" <NoSpamMgbworld@comcast.netNoSpamM> wrote 
>>> in message news:eLHvNT32HHA.4476@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>>> First a few notes.
>>>>
>>>> You can develop locally with MS SQL (Microsoft SQL Server Express 
>>>> 2005). You can install it when you install VS.
>>>>
>>>> Realize, however, that MySQL has different features, so you will have 
>>>> to remain VERY ansi compliant with your SQL statements if you want to 
>>>> go to MySQL later and not have issues.
>>>>
>>>> To be safe, you should download MySQL (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/) 
>>>> Community Edition and an open source .NET Provider (something like 
>>>> http://www.mysql.com/products/connector/net/). This will guarantee you 
>>>> can script and install your database on your production machine.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> REST INLINE
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
>>>> news:OeAsA1p2HHA.728@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>>> Gregory,
>>>>>
>>>>>> Download the MySQL bits for your OS. Then, you need a provider if you 
>>>>>> are going to use OLEDB instead of ODBC (speed primarily). Have not 
>>>>>> touched MySQL in quite some time, but a quick google search will find 
>>>>>> open source providers.
>>>>>
>>>>> Okay, so VS does not include an SQL server then?
>>>>
>>>> VS includes SQL Server Express, but it is different from MySQL.
>>>>
>>>>> I will use native .NET database access. I do not know when or if OLEDB 
>>>>> or ODBC are involved or not. I'm pretty new to this area.
>>>>
>>>> Use OLEDB, if you can.
>>>>
>>>>>> Vista is a bigger problem, as you have to make sure you have VS 2005 
>>>>>> properly patched and you have to deal with the IIS compatibility (if 
>>>>>> a web app) to get things rolling in IIS. I am waiting for VS 2008 for 
>>>>>> my final foray into Vista.
>>>>>
>>>>> Probably a good point, although a bit late for me now.
>>>>
>>>> Have fun!
>>>>
>>>> -- 
>>>> Gregory A. Beamer
>>>> MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA
>>>> http://gregorybeamer.spaces.live.com
>>>> Co-author: Microsoft Expression Web Bible (upcoming)
>>>>
>>>> ************************************************
>>>> Think outside the box!
>>>> ************************************************
>>>>
>>>
>>
> 

Norman,


> You finally got it to work, because you used SQL Server Express' User 
> Instance, which saved you from learning the SQL Server's security. This is 
> both good thing and bad thing.
>
> User Instance is only supported by SQL Server Express, not by all other 
> edition of SQL Server2005. So, if you did not fully understand what User 
> Insdtance means, your app most likely does not work once you install to 
> other computer, unless you specificly design your app use User Instance. 
> For example, the database on a USER INSTANCE cannot be shared with other 
> users.
>
> Problem like you can connect to SQL Server from VS, but not from your app, 
> is typical when not fully understanding SQL Server security.
>
> Really, I am trying to help here, and I do think the most easiest and 
> straightforward help to to point out what you need in order to user 
> database server, such as SQL Server, which is to study some very basic and 
> necessary about SQL Server, rather than simply giving you a 
> ConnectionString that works.


As I've stated several times that, right now, I just want to be able to run 
the application so I can continue development. Since the application will 
eventually be deployed on a hosting server, I will need a different 
connection string anyway. So I honestly do not see how this is bad in any 
way. I will not use the same connection string when the application goes 
live.

As far as learning more about SQL Server, I addressed that in my other email 
to you.

-- 
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

As Mr. Yuan pointed out, your lack of understanding is leading you down a 
development path that will frustrate you once you try to deploy. The way SQL 
Server is handled in the User Instance = True scenario is very (very) 
different than how it's handled in an ASP shared database environment. Many 
of us on this list will gladly give you the shovel to dig your grave or the 
rope to hang you--others like Mr. Yuan (and I) feel uncomfortable giving you 
something that is not right for your situation.

-- 
____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant, Dad, Grandpa
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com
www.betav.com/blog/billva
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jonathan Wood"  wrote in message 
news:eRplLOU3HHA.4184@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

> Norman,
>
>> You finally got it to work, because you used SQL Server Express' User 
>> Instance, which saved you from learning the SQL Server's security. This 
>> is both good thing and bad thing.
>>
>> User Instance is only supported by SQL Server Express, not by all other 
>> edition of SQL Server2005. So, if you did not fully understand what User 
>> Insdtance means, your app most likely does not work once you install to 
>> other computer, unless you specificly design your app use User Instance. 
>> For example, the database on a USER INSTANCE cannot be shared with other 
>> users.
>>
>> Problem like you can connect to SQL Server from VS, but not from your 
>> app, is typical when not fully understanding SQL Server security.
>>
>> Really, I am trying to help here, and I do think the most easiest and 
>> straightforward help to to point out what you need in order to user 
>> database server, such as SQL Server, which is to study some very basic 
>> and necessary about SQL Server, rather than simply giving you a 
>> ConnectionString that works.
>
> As I've stated several times that, right now, I just want to be able to 
> run the application so I can continue development. Since the application 
> will eventually be deployed on a hosting server, I will need a different 
> connection string anyway. So I honestly do not see how this is bad in any 
> way. I will not use the same connection string when the application goes 
> live.
>
> As far as learning more about SQL Server, I addressed that in my other 
> email to you.
>
> -- 
> Jonathan Wood
> SoftCircuits Programming
> http://www.softcircuits.com
> 

William,


> As Mr. Yuan pointed out, your lack of understanding is leading you down a 
> development path that will frustrate you once you try to deploy. The way 
> SQL Server is handled in the User Instance = True scenario is very (very) 
> different than how it's handled in an ASP shared database environment. 
> Many of us on this list will gladly give you the shovel to dig your grave 
> or the rope to hang you--others like Mr. Yuan (and I) feel uncomfortable 
> giving you something that is not right for your situation.


I guess I'll probably just have to agree to disagree with anyone who cannot 
see any value whatsoever in getting my application to at least run as I 
continue to study, learn and increase my understanding. This goes double 
given that no one could tell me how else to connect to my database.

As I said, I've spent many years helping people out in various programming 
newsgroups. I just am not getting how telling me what not to do is that 
helpful.

Thanks anyway.

-- 
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com