Best practice configuring Visual Studio Solution for .SDF databases

Hello,

In our company we haven't tamed Visual Studio yet for the part of configuring

the application database. Therefore I was wondering if there is someone that

can give me hints or clues on what the best practice is for configuring Visual

Solution to handle an SDF database (SQLCE 3.0). I have search a bit on the

internet and this forum, but couldn't find a decent how-to or best practices

guide that copes with this specific problem.

As

a matter of facts, i am also curious for guidelines and tips on the best way to

configure and manage SQL Server databases under Visual Studio. I guess (read as

hope) that the configuration of a mobile and full blown

database will have some overlaps somehow.

I've found the Database Project which with to manage (Create/Alter) databases,

but is this also the best way to store versions of the database in an

source repository? Can such a project allow me to 'automagically' have a

correct database (so with tables and data) when i want to deploy or debug my

device application?

I am asking this because now our database designers and software engineers have

to do allot of manual actions to update the application with the most recent

database version. SDF databases are flying around all over the place, and in

order to test a specific version of the application, the related database has

to be copied manually on the device. We are not searching for replication

related solutions, nor adding the SDF itself to the source repository, but because

most of our applications are server-client based, it would be really super cool

if we could somehow couple both database definitions and generation together. My

feeling says me there ought to be some feature embedded somewhere deep into

Visual Studio that we missed that would (partially) simplify and automate this

whole process for us.

Another

related question is if it is possible to couple XSD generated datasets to an

SDF database. Is it possible to update the generated code (or the describing

XSD documents) from an SDF database? i again guess that this somehow should be

possible in oderder to keep both code and data in sync, and i do not like the

alternative to always update the XSD when the SDF architecture changes. Somehow

i cannot find out how to do this. i was initially searching for the other way

around: Use an XSD to generate both the DataSet codewrappers and the database

itself.

Any

information is welcome and many thanks in advance!

Peter

Vrenken

Too bad there is no one that can give more information

regarding these issues. Can I assume that allot of people/companies haven’t got

a decent SDF database (configuration) setup or thought about it?

I would really like to open a dialog about these issues. Anyone

wants to join me?

Greetings from the rainy Netherlands,

Peter Vrenken

|||Do all you developers out there have got a decent database setup or never thought about it yet? I am hoping that VTS will solve some of the riddles for us but until that time i would really like to know how other companies manage their SDF databases.

Is there not a single developer (maybe a MVP) that wants to shed some light on it and describe how he does it (or how it should be done)?

Thanks in advance,

Peter Vrenken|||I used to put an .mdb in vss. No reason why this couldn't be done with the .sdf|||Hello and thanks for your response!

I know that as of VS2K5 SP1 the management of .SDF files from within a solution has been greatly enhanced.
You say that you ‘used’ to put an .mdb in VSS. Is this because you found a better solution?

Peter Vrenken|||Peter, there are several questions here and I'll try to help where I can. As I understand your issues you're trying to build SDF databases in a way that can be better managed through developer tools like Visual Studio. At this point VS can help, but not as much as it could. The VS team is working on an updated version of the tools that can address some (but not nearly all) of your issues. The SQL Server Management Studio can also do more to help in this regard. As far as scripting, there is little to no support in any of the tools. I too felt your frustration so I wrote my first EBook to supplement my just completed Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition). This is available at WWW.Hitchhikerguides.net. In the book I walk through the process of creating a database using a script reader that I wrote (and provide with the book), with replication and using the APIs. I expect it will help answer many more of your questions.|||"Used to" only in that I no longer use .mdb files.

I moved to MSDE where I kept the create scripts in vss.

I have migrated these to SQL Express (with the scipts in vss) but am now working on a new application with CE. Unfortunately the scripting that was created from SQL Server Management Tool does not work with CE so I am planning on using vss.