>>From a contrarian POV, on top of the benefits of only having to chuck a coiuple of DLLs into the deployment:
>>
>>You can use the Compact edition with the ADO.NET support for EF and Linq (native providers not OLDEB)
>>You can use SSMS to create/manage CE databases.
>>IIRC replicating to a main SQL server is supported?
>
>Yes! An excellent set of tools and replication that actually works.
>
>If not compact, I'd go Express to get even better reliability, security, scalability, connectivity, stored procedures and functions, and reporting services. Still free. 10Gig limit.

Hi,
We use SQL Express a lot (sometimes with clients who already run full SQL for other purposes) - but I'm sure you'll agree that deploying it automatically as part of a standard install is a whole different ball game.
Some clients might want to use an existing instance, others to create a new instance. Some might want to put data on one drive, other on another. Remote access? Culture settings ? Etc,etc...
I'm afraid that option sounds like overkill given the simple requirements Mark has indicated.


>>
>>Admitted downsides:
>>4GB database limit
>>No Stored Procs.
>>No nested transactions ?
>>
>>But unlikely that any of the latter would be a show-stopper for Mark ?
>>
>>>SQLIte can be just copied over as well, accessing it *might* need an install -
>>>depends on the way you want to do it. C# has it's own version, should be installfree as well
>>>BUT the big benefit is instant portability to almost every other language / dev system on almost any platform.
>>>
>>>compact has only syntax "nearness" to MS-SQL - from my POV a no brainer ;-)
>>>
>>>have fun
>>>
>>>thomas
>>>
>>>
>>>>Thanks for all the help, multi user is not an issue so i'm going to go with either sqlite or compact. i like that compact does not need an install when distribution, not sure if sqlite does but going to get to grips with it over the coming days.
>>>>~M
>>>>
>>>>>>Hi all,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I was going to start writing a few small applications in .Net and was wondering about a good desktop database. I'd rather not use VFP just from an experience point of view. What I'd like to do is write a small application to record the name and personal details of people using a .Net (c#) front with a database behind it that is deployable on any desktop windows xp or vista onwards.
>>>>>>
>>>>>If you want multiuser access across the network, use the MS-SQL free express -
>>>>>you won't run into the size limit of 10GB from the above and for Dotnet it has the best support in VS.
>>>>>The free versions of Oracle and especially DB2 have less restirction AFAIR
>>>>>but you will find more help for MS-SQL directly in Dotnet circles.
>>>>>If you consider to learn a totally OS DB, I'd pick PostGreSQL over MySQL
>>>>>
>>>>>If is deployable on any desktop windows xp or vista onwards.
>>>>>is meant as a database for each single PC, no concurrent C/S access,
>>>>>go for SQLite, probably the most installed ebedded DB,
>>>>>but multiuser access there is less sophisticated than even vfp -
>>>>>it is MEANT as the local datastore on a particular machine (Thunderbird, Firefox...).
>>>>>
>>>>>Also promises portability of the data file even down to mobile devices.
>>>>>
>>>>>my 0.02 EUR
>>>>>
>>>>>thomas