How to create a database from nothing?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jonas L
  • Start date Start date
J

Jonas L

I'm creating a application that should handle contacts, orders etc.
I want to distribute only the exe file and let the application take
care of creating and changing the database that is to be used.
Furthermore, I would also like to make it possible for the user to
select which sort of database to create and use, MSSQL, Oracel, Access
etc.

Is this possible? Or do I have distribute a databas file as well? My
first idea was to use OLEDB and let the user select which provider to
use, but I can't open a databas connection without a valid database
file.

Something simular to this..

Assume that the string aConnectionString would equal
"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=\somepath\mydb.mdb;User
Id=admin;Password=;"
or "Provider=sqloledb;Data Source=Aron1;Initial
Catalog=pubs;Integrated Security=SSPI;"
or "Provider=MySQLProv;Data Source=mydb;User
Id=UserName;Password=asdasd;"

OleDbConnection oConnection = new OleDbConnection(aConnectionString);
OleDbCommand oCommand = new OleDbCommand("create database
aDbName",oConnection);
oConnection.Open();
oCommand.ExecuteNonQuery();
oConnection.Close();

Br
Jonas
 
Jonas,

Complete sample in VBNET below, it cannot be that hard to set that in C#
language.

I hope this helps?

Cor

Public Class Main
Public Shared Sub Main()
Dim catNewDB As New ADOX.Catalog
Dim fi As New IO.FileInfo("c:\db1.mdb")
If fi.Exists Then
If MessageBox.Show("Delete?", "Existing File db1.mdb", _
MessageBoxButtons.YesNo) = DialogResult.Yes Then
fi.Delete()
Else
Exit Sub
End If
End If
catNewDB.Create("Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;" & "Data
Source=C:\db1.mdb")
'To make tables we use Adonet
Dim conn As New OleDb.OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;" &
_
" Data Source=C:\db1.mdb;User Id=admin;Password=;")
Dim cmd As New OleDb.OleDbCommand("CREATE TABLE persons ( " & _
"AutoId int identity ," & _
"Id int NOT NULL," & _
"Name NVarchar(50)," & _
"BirthDate datetime," & _
"IdCountry int," & _
"CONSTRAINT [pk_AutoId] PRIMARY KEY (AutoId)) ", conn)
conn.Open()
Try
cmd.ExecuteNonQuery()
Catch ex As OleDb.OleDbException
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "OleDbException")
Exit Sub
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "GeneralException")
Exit Sub
End Try
cmd = New OleDb.OleDbCommand("CREATE TABLE countries ( " & _
"AutoId int identity ," & _
"Id int NOT NULL," & _
"Name NVarchar(50)," & _
"CONSTRAINT [pk_AutoId] PRIMARY KEY (AutoId)) ", conn)
Try
cmd.ExecuteNonQuery()
Catch ex As OleDb.OleDbException
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "OleDbException")
Exit Sub
Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "GeneralException")
Exit Sub
End Try
conn.Close()
End Sub
End Class

Cor
 
Patty,

Thanks normally I have above this sample

set a reference to COM adox ext 2.x for dll and security

That should be done for this.

That all.

Cor
 
Cor,

I tried the following code..

ADOX.Catalog catalog = new ADOX.CatalogClass();
catalog.Create(@"Provider=sqloledb;Data Source=Legolas;Initial
Catalog=Test;Integrated Security=SSPI;");
catalog.Create(@"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data
Source=C:\mydb.mdb;User Id=admin;Password=;");

and only the second create works.. Is there any way to create a SQL
Server database or is there an error in the connectionstring?

I don't have access to a Oracel server so I havn't tested to create a
Oracel database.

Thanks!

Jonas
 
Is it possible to create new databases with the Data Link Properties
dialog or can you only select existing databases?
 
Jonas,

This goes only for ms-Access, although you can discuss what is a database.
When there is an existing SQL server than you can of course use that Create
command to create a database in a existing SQL server.

I have understood that SQL express server will have in future posibilities
for easy installing.

I hope this helps?

Cor
 
Just select an existing database...

--
Scott

Is it possible to create new databases with the Data Link Properties
dialog or can you only select existing databases?
Click to expand...
 
You will have to test your code with any database that you want to support.
If you don't have SQL Server or Oracle yourself, you will have a difficult
time doing this.

Frequently, when I install an app on SQL Server, the install instructions
require me to create the database myself. That is typical. If you want to
create the database yourself, you can always use SQL DMO, but it will
increase the size of your app (to include the DMO library) and you can only
install the app on the machine where SQL Server is actually hosted. This is
what you are actually doing when you use MSDE (the small free version of SQL
Server available from Microsoft).

Better option is to require the user to create the database themselves (with
no tables) and give you a working connection string.

HTH,
--- Nick
 
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