Hello,

I need to setup a demo database to let some clients test some software. Having a demo application they can download that connects over the internet to SQL Server seems the easiest path, rather with worrying about an MSDE install, etc.

Security (for the data) isn't a big issues, since this is just some demo data. I'm also not interested in re-designing data access to something more secure for the internet, since in a live version it's not an issue.

So my questions:

How difficult is it to find a hosting company that would allow this? The hosting companies I work with seem to have firewalls which don't allow a direct connection to SQL Server, unless maybe I go with a dedicated server.

I'm looking for something quick and painless. Should I just throw a server on my dedicated-IP DSL line?

Or am I missing some simpler solutions?

TIA