Hi!

Sorry, I do not want to offend you, but you have to separate development in VFP and development of SQL Server. MSDE is included into the VFP7 package to help VFP developers to do not depend on the main server and develop *VFP* applications that use data from SQL Server more quickly with using local MSDE server. MSDE is *NOT* included to develop SQL Server database, though you can do this, by inconvinient ways using commands running from VFP development environment. See further comments. Again, do not take offence - VFP7 and SQL Server are completely differet products.

>Second, the last time I used SQL Server was back in the 6.0/6.5 days and I'm rusty, to say the least. My understanding is that SQL Server Books Online is the documentation for this product. I expected it to be installed along with MSDE but I can't find it on my system.
>

MSDE is a free engine for development opnly, accordingly to the Microsoft licensing. Youchave to use the full SQL Server version in production. As a result, Microsoft provides only MSDE. No client utilities and no help files.

Anyway, you can install many things from other products. Enterporise manager - from Visual studio or SQL Server Client Utilities; help - all is in MSDN etc.

BTW, you still can use SQL Server 6.5. help files. After installing MSDE, MSSQL65 folder is still on my disk and I stillc an run BINN\INFOVIEW.EXE and see all SQL Server help from there.

>Third, this is perhaps not an issue with MSDE so much as it's an issue with the philosophy of including some sort of SQL Server in the VFP7 box. I've had a little exposure to the SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Manager and it's a nice way to manage SQL Server. I understand that MSDE is bare-bones and one of the things it lacks is client-side utilities but I question if this is a good idea for developers. When learning a new (to me) product I appreciate all the help I can get.
>

You can manage everything by commands from VFP ;) In command window:
nn=SQLEXEC("Driver=SQL Server;")
=SQLEXEC(nn,"CREATE DATABASE Test")
=SQLEXEC(nn,"USE TEST")
=SQLEXEC(nn,"CREATE TABLE ......")
str=FileToStr(getfile()) && load some *.sql file here, assure no "?" in that script otehrwise
&& SQLEXEC throw errors
=SQLEXEC(nn,str)


You can run above way standard SQL Server procedures and so on. Of course, Enterprise manager is better. But for development you usually already have SQL Server database. For development SQL Server database - its another story, if you want to do this in convinient way - buy it. Its usual licensing story. This is licensing issue. MSDE was always without client utilities and I doubt MS ever include them - just because MSDE comes for free for development only as a lightweight SQL Server engine useful for installing on developer's machine and develop applications.


>VS6 included a copy of SQL Server 7.0 Developer's Edition (and MSDE 1.0) in the Plus Pack. I never installed this product but presumably it comes with full documentation and client-side tools. Why could we not get a similar license for SQL Server 2000 with VFP7?
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>Overall, my impression of what we get in the VFP7 package is somehow "MSDE Lite", which is not packaged to take advantage of MS's own update process and which is not a very attractive introduction to SQL Server.
>

Remember that MSDE is *NOT* SQL Server. You going to develop applications in VFP7, right? For development of SQL Server databases and SP - buy appropriate tools.

>I'm hoping someone from the MS Fox Team will respond, but if anyone else has any workarounds or can point out obvious stuff I've missed, I'd appreciate it.

MSDE with license for running in production environment and client tools will be just SQL Server, that you should buy. Do not request too much for free.