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.NET Forum / .NET Framework / Distributed Applications / July 2006Newbie Question about SQL Server 2005 Express connection...
Hi, I'm fairly new to this, hope you'll forgive the newbie question. I'm trying to build an app that will be installed on up to six PCs. The app will use a Winform UI connected to a database sitting in a shared network folder. I chose to use SQL Server 2005 Express Edition based on the understanding that I could treat the .mdf file much as I would an old-fashioned Microsot Access file - a connection string in the app would point to the central database file, enabiling the half-dozen users to share the same data. Problem is that I can't find a way to attach my .mdf file to my Visual Studio 2005 project without relying on the local installation of SQL Server Express. When this gets rolled out, it will be on a network that has no SQL Server 2005 Express Edition software installed on it. I chose SS2005EE because I wanted the power of SQL Server functionality combined with the ease-of-use (and portability) of Access data files... Is what I'm trying to do even possible? VS2005 won't let me attach to my mdf file unless the project connects to the local instance of SS2005EE... Help! Hello Liam, I have also been struggling with this problem. I wanted to connect to an .mdf and use it more or less like one uses an .mdb. It seems that things are not exactly like one would like. Or at least ms is making things more complicate than we expect. All this useless security is only preventing us to easily get set with our work, ... and probably is not really stopping any hacker :) After a few days of attempts, I have found a way to connect and deal with mdf files which seems to work. I have not tried it yet with asp net pages. Would you like to give it a try to see if there are problems? -tom Liam ha scritto: > Hi, I'm fairly new to this, hope you'll forgive the newbie question. > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Help! Sounds interesting... what's the workaround? (Remember that I'm not building a web app, I'm building a distributed winform app) Liam > Hello Liam, > [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > > > > Help! Hi Liam, Actually the .mdf needs to be attached to a server. You cannot access it from remote as a stand alone file. What do you mean by distributed winform app? Do you mean you have a few application on different computers talking among them through sockets? As I understand it, mdf are made to work tightly with asp.net pages. They are placed in the app_data folder within the webroot. So you should probably forget about .mdf: in your case, it seem that a dbms easily accessible via tcp for remote such as slqserver, mysql, oracle, etc. would do the job.... -tom Liam ha scritto: > Sounds interesting... what's the workaround? > [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > > > > > > Help! This my first attempt at deploying a distributed windows app, and I am having similar issues with connecting to an .mdf. I have a server where I want the .mdf to be kept, and a few clients running the app that will need to access the .mdf. Tom, you said the .mdf needs to be attached to the server. Do you mean it needs to be permanently attached to some instance of SQL Server/SQL Express on the server? The app that I am working on has the .mdf included in the project (in the bin folder) and I am attaching at run time using "attachdbfilename=..." in the connection string. I was planning on placing the app in a fileshare, hoping this would make the database accessible to the clients. Are you saying that this method does not work in a distributed app? Thanks  SignatureJim L > Hi Liam, > [quoted text clipped - 62 lines] > > > > > > > > Help! hi Jim, For what I know at the moment (I may be missing some things) .mdf is not what one who is used to the .mdb format would expect. Somehow, it does not seem at all to have the portability we would have wished. When we open an mdb the engine is in the provider. But the .mdf can be accessed only through the SQL server engine. So it seems that it must be "attached" to the server to be accessed. Further, for the attempts I have done, this fact seems to have some other bothering consequences, such as the .mdf will not be open unless it is in some specific directories which the server can access (such as App_Data in an asp.net application folder). One undertands the security reasons, but I find very disappointing this kind of behavior. I expected the .mdf to be a kind of improved .mdb, but things seem to be quite different. The story is probably that this format is specific to address the security problems of asp net applications. Personally I have forget about the .mdf and - with a lot of disappointment - turned back to the old .mdb (with all its big problems, such as locking and so on). In any case I use a file as DBMS only temporarily, during development, to be free to move things around and make easily changes, before attaching to some "serious" DBMS. If someone has some good news about .mdf, I will be happy to hear them. -tom Datatime Community Edition http://cam70.sta.uniroma1.it/Community/ Jim L ha scritto: > This my first attempt at deploying a distributed windows app, and I am having > similar issues with connecting to an .mdf. I have a server where I want the [quoted text clipped - 81 lines] > > > > > > > > > > Help! Free MagazinesGet these publications absolutely FREE for up to 12 months. There are no hidden fees and no obligation. Simply choose a title, complete the application form and submit it. Read more ...
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