I'm new to .NET and while starting to learn ASP .NET MVC2 framework I see that you can create a .mdf file inside the App_Data folder and connect to it or you can connect to a SQL Server.
What is the difference between these to methods of interacting with a database? What are the advantages/disadvantages of one over the other?
The "MDF in the App_Data" folder works for web site and web apps, and it works only with SQL Server Express (2005, 2008, 2008 R2). This is the version that's typically installed along with Visual Studio, and which works fine as a dev environment.
SQL Server Express has a few limitations on
number of CPU used (1)
max. size of a database (4 GB for 2005/2008, 10 GB for 2008 R2)
max. amount of RAM used (max. 1 GB)
and more. It's a great and free way to get into SQL Server development.
If you need production level SQL Server, then you're probably going to use a full version - Web, Workgroup, Standard, Enterprise or any of the highest level DataCenter editions.
There's a pretty comprehensive Compare SQL Server 2008 R2 Editions page up at Microsoft - go check it out!
The programming experience should be identical, too - it's really just a question of the ADO.NET connection string (and whether or not you need to have a locally installed SQL Server Express instance present).
The database file format is totally identical, so you can absolutely start with a .mdf file in your App_Data folder, and later move "up" to a full edition of SQL Server - simply attach your MDF file to your server instance, and now use that database. Works seamlessly.
Related
I've just built my first Umbraco site and now I want to hand it over for deployment on a web server. However, I built the site on my local machine using Web Matrix, which uses a SQL Server Compact Edition database, which is represented in a .sdf file.
I was a bit uneasy about whether this would be much use to the person I'm passing the site to (they have a number of Umbraco based sites running on this server using SQL Server) - so I installed SQL Server Express and migrated the database from Compact Edition to Express. However (again), I can't seem to find any way of exporting the full database to a file which can then by imported into a database on the web server.
A couple of points I guess - first, is the Compact Edition .sdf file actually enough for someone to take and import a database into SQL Server Standard? Failing that, how would I export the database from SQL Server Express to a file which could be used for this purpose?
Thanks in advance - this is my first foray into .net development so I'm grateful for any help!
You could just give the SQL CE database (.sdf) to the person who manages the web server. The SQL CE database can be run by default on a .NET webserver.
If, for some reason, you want to migrate it to SQL Server, you can do this through Web Matrix (http://www.microsoft.com/web/)
When you have already converted the SQL CE database to SQL Server, you can:
make a backup through the SQL Server Management Studio tool and restore the backup on the web server
or you can use the SQL Server Management Studio tool to script the database to a .sql file which can be executed on the web server
I prefer the first option.
I know next to nothing about databases, but need to store and present user input on my ASP.NET tiny website (up to several thousand records). Should I consider SQL Server Compact Edition? In Microsoft docs I found:
SQL Server Compact 3.5 is not currently optimized to serve as a database for Web sites. By default, connections from ASP.NET-connected applications are blocked in SQL Server Compact 3.5. SQL Server Compact 3.5 is optimized for use as an embedded database within applications. Using SQL Server Compact 3.5 as a database for Web sites requires support for multiple users and concurrent data changes. This can cause performance problems. Therefore, these scenarios are not supported. Other editions of SQL Server, including SQL Server 2005 Express Edition and later versions, are optimized to serve as a database for Web sites.
But then I remember reading some user comment that the 4.0 version of SQL Server CE is finally working OK in ASP.NET scenario. Anyone care to share his experience? I would like to try CE first as SQL server requires additional fee on my hosting.
From the download site for SQL Server Compact 4.0:
Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0 is a free, embedded database that software developers can use for building ASP.NET websites and Windows desktop applications.
And:
SQL Server Compact 4.0 enables new scenarios and includes a host of new features, including the following:
SQL Server Compact 4.0 is the default database for Microsoft WebMatrix, which is a stack of web technologies for easily building and deploying websites on the Windows platform.
(emphasis mine)
In conclusion - it has specifically been enhanced for web scenarios.
Yes, SQL Server Compact 4.0 has been designed with scenarios similiar to yours in mind.
New Embedded Database Support with ASP.NET
SQL CE is a free, embedded, database engine that enables easy database storage.
No Database Installation Required
SQL CE does not require you to run a setup or install a database
server in order to use it. You can simply copy the SQL CE binaries
into the \bin directory of your ASP.NET application, and then your web
application can use it as a database engine. No setup or extra
security permissions are required for it to run. You do not need to
have an administrator account on the machine. Just copy your web
application onto any server and it will work. This is true even of
medium-trust applications running in a web hosting environment.
SQL CE runs in-memory within your ASP.NET application and will
start-up when you first access a SQL CE database, and will
automatically shutdown when your application is unloaded. SQL CE
databases are stored as files that live within the \App_Data folder of
your ASP.NET Applications.
Visual Studio 2010 SP1 includes new tooling support for SQL CE
Despite using many sql databases before, I've never actually tried to develop an app with a database in the App_Data directory.
Until now!!
It's a small WCF service project, which has a sql express 2008 r2 database.
Working in VS there are no problems, I thought it would be as easy as deploying to a server (win 2008 with sql 2008 r2 installed) and it would just work. But it would appear not.
In the web.config, the connection string which uses |Data Directory| in the connection string.
I read here that |Data Directory| only works in VS, but looking at other articles on the web that doesn't seem to be the case.
I have (for the sake of this) given everyone modify rights on the app_data dir on the server.
I deployed using the package feature in VS 2010.
Thx
S
This problem was related to the application pool account in IIS not having permissions on the SQL Express instance.
I'm trying to create a database within the app_data folder of an asp.net mvc project using the IDE, but i am getting a "Required Components Missing" message indicating "Connections to SQL Server files (*.mdf) requireSQL Express 2005 ....."
I am using
- Windows 7 Enterprise
- VS2008 Team System SP1
- SQL Server 2008 Developer Edition SP1
I have altered the database connection to use the default instance by setting to blank using
Tools -> Options -> Database Tools -> Data Connection : SQL Server Instance Name
I also note from the SQL Server Books Online that the user instance feature will be removed in the future, but for now it suits my effort in developing an application where a number of people are working on the project.
Has anyone managed to create a database in the same manner?
It appears Nerd Dinner has done so
The attached user-instance database in the App_Data will work only with a SQL Server Express edition - 2005 or 2008.
It does not work with a full SQL Server edition, like Web, Workgroup, Standard, Enterprise or Developer. It does not - no way - no trick to make it work - does not - period.
If you want to use that mechanism of attaching a user instance database in your App_Data folder, you must use SQL Server 2005/2008 Express.
Ok! I'm ready to embark on some .NET development for the first time.
I've recently installed Microsoft Visual Studio which included Microsoft SQL Sever 2005.
What is the prefered method for programming against a development database? I want to write an ASP.NET application that uses a database and I'm not sure how to create one. In my start menu for SQL Server 2005 all I have is:
SQL Server Configuration Manager
SQL Server Error and Usage Reports
SQL Server Surface Area Config
I don't see an intuitive program to create and design databases on that list, so how do I do it?! Will I be creating a full fledged SQL Server database or a "flat-file" fake database to program against?
Can someone please tell me what is up on creating my first MS SQL Server 2005 database?
If you've Visual Studio, just goto server explorer, Add a new database connection to your database, and start off.
Or, create a new website project in Visual studio, right click the App_Data folder->Add New Item and add a SQL Server database mdf file, which will be attached to the sql server when you run the app. You need to deploy the mdf file when doing a production release :)
You might want to watch the videos in ASP.NET website http://www.asp.net/learn/
Otherwise, consider using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (an express edition is also available).
You are looking for Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express. Its pretty easy to add a database once you get your head around it.
To be clear, the SQL Server included with Visual Studio is an express edition. However, the one thing it is lacking is the SQL Server Management Studio (Express). I'd download and install the express edition that included the management studio (note that VS 2005 and 2008 include SQL Express 2005, you can use either SQL Express 2005 or 2008 for your purposes).
You can create a new database and do everything you need to from within the VS IDE but you'll probably find the SQL Management Studio environment much more intuitive and simpler to use as a beginner.
A quick note on SQL Express - Microsoft doesn't suggest it for 'production' environments due to limitations placed on the amount of RAM that Express can see/use and a few other factors. This is one of the few cases in which I agree - if you're doing anything complex that involves large databases or dozens of users then invest in MSSQL Workgroup Edition at least, or for Enterprise projects use MSSQL Standard or Enterprise versions.