Bruce,

PMFJI. If you are looking for a good easy database that can be embedded into your application, then you need to look at Adaptive Server Anywhere (ASA) that ships with Sql Anywhere Studio from Sybase. I have been using this database for over 10 years and can assure you that it is very easy to install an maintain remotely.

I owned a company a few years back that had over 1000 customers nation wide and I used that database with very little trouble. It is not a well know database but id does have a large install base. Quick books and I think Peach Tree both use it. It is not free but Sybase does have a partner program that allows you to buy licenses for much less then the retail price.

ASA runs in windows, Lynix, Sun Solaris, Win CE, and Palm OSs. Has a great data synchronization engine as well. I have a customer that has 16 databases syncing in three states.

>Hi Kevin,
>
>We are evaluating SQL Express as a possible back end for our app. Would you still advocate SQL Express for a verticle market app that:
>
>Approx 800 installations.
>
>80% of those installations have 0% technical expertise and no easy access to expertise for support (rural Montana).
>
>40% are still on dial-up, which makes WebEx support agonizing.
>
>
>Is SQL Express as easy to install and maintain as VFP DBs? I love SQL Server in our corporate environment where we have DBAs to do the maintenance and backups (even though they INSIST that SPs are the only way we will ever deal with data), but with no experience trying to support SQL Server remotely for our app, I wonder what new problems we are going to encounter.
>
>Thanks
>
>
>>Even for road warrior scenarios ? On single user/single machine I lean to simpler solutions, on citrix/TS solutions I can argue both points.
>>
>>Hi, Thomas,
>>
>>Yes. Again...unless there are requirements to stay with VFP as a back-end, I advocate SQL Express '05 or SQL Server '05.