Craig,

Thanks for the reply, but I thought that I explained why it worries me to rely on the Express version, i.e. what if I need to use a component like SSIS that's not included with Express? And urgently, as is almost always the case?

It also bugs me that with all the CTPs a year or more in advance of the release date, Microsoft weren't able to ensure that SQL 2005 and Vista would be compatible.

Regards,
David.