Introducing LocalDB, an improved SQL Express

re: Introducing LocalDB, an improved SQL Express

William Vaughn — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:23:01 GMT

When will LocalDB attached-file databases support the Database Diagram functionality that other SQL Server databases accessed from the Server Explorer can leverage? This was supported in earlier versions of Visual Studio that used SQL Express. Why not in LocalDB?

re: Introducing LocalDB, an improved SQL Express

KSnyder — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:08:59 GMT

Q. How do I install both SQL Express 2012 & LocalDB 2012 on the same development PC?

I tried running the LocalDB 2012 Wizard installer and it failed because I have a 'Higher Version' of SQL Express installed.

I currently cannot run a web app using LocalDB unless I 'Attach' the database file in SQL Express 2012.

re: Introducing LocalDB, an improved SQL Express

Javier Siancas — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:21:08 GMT

How can I use LocalDB with Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Phone?

re: Introducing LocalDB, an improved SQL Express

Doug Kimzey — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:45:46 GMT

Where would I find documentation that would help me build an InstallShield or WiX installed for an application using LocalDb?

re: Introducing LocalDB, an improved SQL Express

Ward Beattie [MSFT] — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 00:58:56 GMT

Stephan, I'm sorry you have had difficulties with LocalDB. In designing LocalDB, we made a conscious decision to always run the DB engine "unelevated", even if the user that started it was running elevated. This is much safer for your computer, but it does mean that your database files must have their permissions set to allow your own account to access them -- not just administrators. One way to ensure this is to locate database files under your profile directory (e.g. \users\<username>). If you locate them elsewhere, you should use the security tab in Windows Explorer to give yourself full access to the directory.

re: Introducing LocalDB, an improved SQL Express

Stephan — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 22:48:53 GMT

Unfortunately, I must not that LocalDb is NOT a "better" SQL express. In fact, I have had nothing but problems with it. For some unknown reason, it keeps thinking that the database is read-only. In some cases, I resolved this but granting all users on the machine full control over the MDF/LDF files. In other cases, the database (somehow?) actually did transition to a readonly state and even using Sql Management studio I have been unable to make the database not read only ! What a PITA.

re: Introducing LocalDB, an improved SQL Express

Ward Beattie [MSFT] — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:17:33 GMT

Re: LocalDb - Can I still use dot \InstanceName format somehow

I appreciate your frustration. Unfortunately, there is no way to use the ".\instanceName" notation to reference a LocalDB instance. Our experience is that most ISVs provide a mechanism to specify the server name parameter of the connection string externally to their applications. It strikes me that this would not be a difficult change for you, and might provide benefits for the future. That said, we will keep your suggestions in mind for a future release -- perhaps we could extend the existing instance alias mechanism.to meet this requirement.

Thanks,

Ward.

re: Introducing LocalDB, an improved SQL Express

LocalDb - Can I still use dot \InstanceName format somehow — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 01:45:04 GMT

Summary:

Thank you MS for your free tools.

Can I still use .\InstanceName somehow especially as its the only insance on the machine

Details:

Again thanks for your hard work on these free tools.

LocalDb looked promising. Unfortunately after investigation there is one major problem. We have a suite of utilities all with a hard coded .\InstanceName if we move from Express to LocalDb we have to re-write lots of our software suite. (yes yes maybe it should all be in the registry) but what of Customers who also have .\ paths in their .exe.config files. Surely it would have been easier [to use] to have LocalDb interfaces automatically sense that a .\InstanceName is of type LocalDb and start it. Why the (LocalDb)\InstanceName? I find this and other stuff from MS is not very well thought out as a real world solution (if academically correct) I mean its purist but not backwards compatible, forging ahead without thought for us poor ISVs who have existing code,running systems that need upgrading and customers.

Its frustrating that compact does not have stored procedures; one reason we can't use it. I understand why (kind of) though its bad design to encode SQL.

Thanks for reading

re: Introducing LocalDB, an improved SQL Express

ONLY dumb developers are saving apps and dbs in local app data!!! — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:39:53 GMT

"%localappdata%\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server Local DB\Instances\v11.0" is a folder that is EXCLUDED from roaming via a standard MS GPO named "Exclude directories in roaming profile" with a default value of "AppData\Local;AppData\LocalLow;". Therefore if a user logs of from his PC this folder get's deleted. All data inside this folder get's wiped from disk (data loss). Turn your brains on guys! What Google does is WRONG.

Suxxx Microsoft ADCENTER is such a broken software. It also installs the app into local app data. Therefore the application is also lost, not only the database.

re: Introducing LocalDB, an improved SQL Express

Doodling DBA — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:29:18 GMT

Hi there - thanks for the article!

Question - how does patching work for LocalDB through SSDT? Is it patched via Visual Studio or does it require separate SQL patching?

Thanks!