SQL Express and MSDE

[Marc Gravell]

MSDE is obsolete (support ended in April); SQL Server Express is the
replacement. Note that SQL Server 2008 Express is now available.

Marc

 

[Tony Johansson]

Hello!

Visual Studio 2005 includes a copy of SQL Express which is a lightweight
desktop engine version of SQL Server 2005.

Now to my question what is MSDE(Desktop Engine) is that the same as SQL
Express ?

//Tony

 

[Pavel Minaev]

Hello!

Visual Studio 2005 includes a copy of SQL Express which is a lightweight
desktop engine version of SQL Server 2005.

Now to my question what is MSDE(Desktop Engine) is that the same as SQL
Express ?

MSDE was essentially a cut-down version of SQL Server 2000; SQL
Express fills roughly the same role for SQL Server 2005 & 2008 (though
somewhat expanded, since it does allow remote connections, which MSDE
did not).

There's also SQL Server CE, which is yet another thing (but also
something worth a look at if you need a lightweight local database for
a desktop application).

 

[Alberto Poblacion]

[...] SQL Express fills roughly the same role for SQL Server
2005 & 2008 (though somewhat expanded, since it does allow
remote connections, which MSDE did not).

This is not entirely accurate. MSDE *did* allow remote connections. The
main limitation in MSDE was that it only worked well with a maximum of 5
remote connections; if you opened more connections then it purposely
degraded its performance to discourage people from using it in this way (and
encourage upgrading to a "full" Sql Server). Sql Express does not have this
limitation and can accept an unrestricted number of remote connections.

 

[Jon Skeet [C# MVP]]

[...] SQL Express fills roughly the same role for SQL Server
2005 & 2008 (though somewhat expanded, since it does allow
remote connections, which MSDE did not).

   This is not entirely accurate. MSDE *did* allow remote connections.. The
main limitation in MSDE was that it only worked well with a maximum of 5
remote connections; if you opened more connections then it purposely
degraded its performance to discourage people from using it in this way (and
encourage upgrading to a "full" Sql Server). Sql Express does not have this
limitation and can accept an unrestricted number of remote connections.

The other major limitation of MSDE was the size of database it would
cope with. While it looks like there's still a restriction, it's
bigger than it was before (4GB instead of 2GB).

Jon

 

[Ignacio Machin ( .NET/ C# MVP )]

MSDE was essentially a cut-down version of SQL Server 2000; SQL
Express fills roughly the same role for SQL Server 2005 & 2008 (though
somewhat expanded, since it does allow remote connections, which MSDE
did not).

MSDE does support remote connections. You can manage a remote MSDE
from "Enterprise manager" or "Management Console"

IIRC MSDE did support DTS and the express version does not.