newbie q: msde 2000 or sql server 2005 express?

[CreepieDeCrapper]

in short, i am a new asp.net developer trying to setup my xp pro sp2 machine
with the following:

- IIS (done)
- .NET Framework (1.1 w/hotfix done)
- MS SQL db (outstanding)

any recommendations on which sql server version to install? i'm looking at
either msde 2000 release A or sql server 2005 express (i realize that for
2005 express i'll need to remove .NET 1.1 and install 2.0, not sure for
msde though)

tia for any help!

- kevin

 

[Joshua Flanagan]

You do not need to uninstall .NET 1.1 for SQL Server 2005 express, but
you will need to install 2.0 (they both co-exist). MSDE requires neither.
Keep in mind that SQL Server 2005 is currently only a BETA, as is the
..NET 2.0 that would be required.

If you dont know of any specific features you are looking for in SQL
Express, then I would recommend MSDE 2000 for now.

 

[CreepieDeCrapper]

i thought sql express was still in beta but it wasn't clear enough to me on
MS's site... thanks for clarifying!

 

[Robert Blackwell]

Being a seasoned newbie myself, I found that MSDE was a little tricky to
install and setup vs express. Like Joshua said though, unless there's a
specific feature you need from express vs 2000, 2000 will work just fine.