Deployment Question, Connection string issue.

When we deploy applications, we have been using DSN's set up on the
users systems. Then in the sqlconnection string, we go "dsn = xyz". I
tried this with our new application, which is the first to be done
with ADO.net and I get the following run time problem:

"An exception 'System.ArgumentException' has occured in <Myapp>".
I do the run time debugging and it tells me: "Keyword not supported:
'dsn'.

For those who have migrated to .Net, how do you handle this issue? I
mean, we are going to distribute this application, and our users will
have different names for their servers, so how do we specify a data
source dynamically.

The way we have it for the moment is that we read the information from
a config file. But it seems like there must be a better way. What
happened to dsn?

Any help on this would greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ed Hawkes
olaamigoquepasa@.nospamplease-hotmail.comEd Hawkes (olaamigoquepasa@.hotmail.com) writes:
> When we deploy applications, we have been using DSN's set up on the
> users systems. Then in the sqlconnection string, we go "dsn = xyz". I
> tried this with our new application, which is the first to be done
> with ADO.net and I get the following run time problem:
> "An exception 'System.ArgumentException' has occured in <Myapp>".
> I do the run time debugging and it tells me: "Keyword not supported:
> 'dsn'.
> For those who have migrated to .Net, how do you handle this issue? I
> mean, we are going to distribute this application, and our users will
> have different names for their servers, so how do we specify a data
> source dynamically.
> The way we have it for the moment is that we read the information from
> a config file. But it seems like there must be a better way. What
> happened to dsn?

If you despearately need DSN, I would suppose you could use OleDb
client rather than SqlClient.

As for what happened, I guess DSN got of fashion, and I can't say that
I miss it. Our application - which is VB6 - once used DSN, but now you
can specify server and database on the login form (and the values are
saved in registry between invocations), which I very much like. Of course,
end users normally use the same server and database, and it's only
developers like me, who change all the time. But nevertheless, DSNs
is just one more thing that has to be configured, and which could buy
settings you did not expect.

IF you don't want to prompt your users, a config file seems like a
good way to go.

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@.sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server SP3 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techin.../2000/books.asp|||Erland Sommarskog <esquel@.sommarskog.se> wrote in message news:<Xns952AF310B27FBYazorman@.127.0.0.1>...
> Ed Hawkes (olaamigoquepasa@.hotmail.com) writes:
> > When we deploy applications, we have been using DSN's set up on the
> > users systems. Then in the sqlconnection string, we go "dsn = xyz". I
> > tried this with our new application, which is the first to be done
> > with ADO.net and I get the following run time problem:
> > "An exception 'System.ArgumentException' has occured in <Myapp>".
> > I do the run time debugging and it tells me: "Keyword not supported:
> > 'dsn'.
> > For those who have migrated to .Net, how do you handle this issue? I
> > mean, we are going to distribute this application, and our users will
> > have different names for their servers, so how do we specify a data
> > source dynamically.
> > The way we have it for the moment is that we read the information from
> > a config file. But it seems like there must be a better way. What
> > happened to dsn?
> If you despearately need DSN, I would suppose you could use OleDb
> client rather than SqlClient.
> As for what happened, I guess DSN got of fashion, and I can't say that
> I miss it. Our application - which is VB6 - once used DSN, but now you
> can specify server and database on the login form (and the values are
> saved in registry between invocations), which I very much like. Of course,
> end users normally use the same server and database, and it's only
> developers like me, who change all the time. But nevertheless, DSNs
> is just one more thing that has to be configured, and which could buy
> settings you did not expect.
> IF you don't want to prompt your users, a config file seems like a
> good way to go.

Erland,
much obliged! I really appreciate the response, and this will help
move our project along. Thanks again.
Cheers,
Ed Hawkessql

deployment of applications

Hi,

I have developed several PPC apps in VS2003, which i have deployed to other PPCs using sqlce.wce4.armv4.CAB for the database runtime.

Now I developed a new app. version in Visual Studio 2005, using the free SQL server express database that came with it.

I can create a .cab file for the app using a setup project, but it eludes me what to install on the PPC of the customer, database wise.

Is there some kind of installable runtime for sql server express ?

(Or what is it called today ?)

thx in advance,

Paul.

Hi Paul,

SQL Express edition is only available for desktop and server versions of Windows, not for Windows Mobile. You must use SQL CE version 3.1 cab files, ie: sqlce30.ppc.wce4.armv4.CAB and sqlce30.repl.ppc.wce4.armv4.CAB (for Windows Mobile 2003 devices)

deploying SQL server applications to another machine

Hi -
Let me start off by saying that I am a complete SQL server newbie.
I work with a system that uses SQL Server 2005 as it's backbone DB
running on W2K3 server. This system is going to be installed onto
customer servers, also running W2K3 server. Question is; is there a
way to deploy all aspects of JUST THE DB (tables, stored procedures,
security, users, etc...) to the customers servers without having to do
a full up install of SQL Server 2005 on every server that will host a
database?
ThanksYou need some process to read and interact with the database files. The only such process I know of
is ... SQL Server. Now, that can be Express edition, but it need to be some version of SQL Server...
--
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://sqlblog.com/blogs/tibor_karaszi
<ecfiedler@.impactsci.com> wrote in message
news:1179865512.394536.163730@.q69g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Hi -
> Let me start off by saying that I am a complete SQL server newbie.
> I work with a system that uses SQL Server 2005 as it's backbone DB
> running on W2K3 server. This system is going to be installed onto
> customer servers, also running W2K3 server. Question is; is there a
> way to deploy all aspects of JUST THE DB (tables, stored procedures,
> security, users, etc...) to the customers servers without having to do
> a full up install of SQL Server 2005 on every server that will host a
> database?
> Thanks
>

deploying SQL server applications to another machine

Hi -
Let me start off by saying that I am a complete SQL server newbie.
I work with a system that uses SQL Server 2005 as it's backbone DB
running on W2K3 server. This system is going to be installed onto
customer servers, also running W2K3 server. Question is; is there a
way to deploy all aspects of JUST THE DB (tables, stored procedures,
security, users, etc...) to the customers servers without having to do
a full up install of SQL Server 2005 on every server that will host a
database?
Thanks
You need some process to read and interact with the database files. The only such process I know of
is ... SQL Server. Now, that can be Express edition, but it need to be some version of SQL Server...
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://sqlblog.com/blogs/tibor_karaszi
<ecfiedler@.impactsci.com> wrote in message
news:1179865512.394536.163730@.q69g2000hsb.googlegr oups.com...
> Hi -
> Let me start off by saying that I am a complete SQL server newbie.
> I work with a system that uses SQL Server 2005 as it's backbone DB
> running on W2K3 server. This system is going to be installed onto
> customer servers, also running W2K3 server. Question is; is there a
> way to deploy all aspects of JUST THE DB (tables, stored procedures,
> security, users, etc...) to the customers servers without having to do
> a full up install of SQL Server 2005 on every server that will host a
> database?
> Thanks
>

deploying SQL server applications to another machine

Hi -
Let me start off by saying that I am a complete SQL server newbie.
I work with a system that uses SQL Server 2005 as it's backbone DB
running on W2K3 server. This system is going to be installed onto
customer servers, also running W2K3 server. Question is; is there a
way to deploy all aspects of JUST THE DB (tables, stored procedures,
security, users, etc...) to the customers servers without having to do
a full up install of SQL Server 2005 on every server that will host a
database?
ThanksYou need some process to read and interact with the database files. The only
such process I know of
is ... SQL Server. Now, that can be Express edition, but it need to be some
version of SQL Server...
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://sqlblog.com/blogs/tibor_karaszi
<ecfiedler@.impactsci.com> wrote in message
news:1179865512.394536.163730@.q69g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Hi -
> Let me start off by saying that I am a complete SQL server newbie.
> I work with a system that uses SQL Server 2005 as it's backbone DB
> running on W2K3 server. This system is going to be installed onto
> customer servers, also running W2K3 server. Question is; is there a
> way to deploy all aspects of JUST THE DB (tables, stored procedures,
> security, users, etc...) to the customers servers without having to do
> a full up install of SQL Server 2005 on every server that will host a
> database?
> Thanks
>

Deploying SMO/RMO Applications to non-sql2005 servers.

Hi All,
Is it possible to deploy smo/rmo applications to servers and clients without installing the sql server 2005 client tools? Can I simply include the used assenblies or is there any dependance on some ActiveX objects or other configuration actions that must be performed for SMO/RMO to work?
regards,
Tore Birkeland
Yes, it is possible to deploy SMO/RMO applications without installing SQL Server 2005 client tools. The SQL Server 2005 RTM will include SMO redist setup file that you can use for your SMO-based applications. SMO relies on .NET Framework 2.0 and SQL Native Client.

Deploying multi-user sql express database to SQL Express Server

Okay, I've read massive topics on ClickOnce, and embedded database applications, etc, etc.

I need a handful of good suggestions how I can create a deployment package, to get my sql express database onto a SQL Express server.

The database will need to be multi-user, because I am also developing a WinForms application to connect to the SQL Express database.

I'm thinking I need to use some automated scripting features, to generate scripts for the database once I am done (unless you have a better suggestion).

After that, I need to know what to do with those scripts, and how can I create a setup / deployment packages to run those scripts against a SQL Express server.

The other alterntative obviously is to copy my sql express database, and run an attach command. This will work the first time, only because this will have been the first deployment of this database.

Please keep in mind when answering this question, that I will not be embedding the database, and as far as I understand ClickOnce is a feature for use with embedded databases or user instance databases (not sure).

Daniel Crane

Ping!

Is anybody reading these posts?

|||

Dan,

You may find these sources useful.

SQL Server 2005 UnAttended Installations
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144259.aspx
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb264562.aspx
http://www.devx.com/dbzone/Article/31648

|||

Hmmm... Thanks Arnie this information is helpful to a degree.

I was hoping to get more information on how to create an automated installation, like Microsoft does, when distributing database samples. Something I could just run on a SQL Server, and have the installation "install" the database.

Right now, if I want to do something similar with an application installation. I would create a VB.net project, write the code, test, etc. Then I would create a deployment package.

What would I do if I want to have a "database" project. Am not referring to the actual Database project in VS.NET Pro. I want to be able to create a database, probably script it out entirely, then create an "installation" package.

Right now all the info I have says buy a 3rd party tool, because Microsoft stuff doesn't give us the ability to do this, unless it's a user-instance express database (which is not the same as multi-user).

that's a bit frustrating, because I am a one man shop, and would like to be able to manage larger projects for my customers. Without having to buy Team Enterprise for Database Developers (or whatever it's called). I love Microsoft, but they seem to keep the single person, or small team from having access to the tools that we really need, unless we are willing to pay the same price as huge corporations.

I've found a relatively low cost tool called EasySql Deployment, but I was hoping to do it "the Microsoft way". Please let me know if you have any additional suggestion, because I do appreciate the input!!

Thanks again!

|||

OK, digging a little deeper, perhaps these are more to your needs.

Deploy Database with MSI
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/04/09/customdatabaseinstaller/

Deploy Database with Application

http://www.codeproject.com/useritems/Deploy_your_database.asp

|||

Thanks for that extra info! The CodeProject article really helps!