SQL Server Express WebLog : Futures

Survey: SQL Express 2008 and Patching

sqlexpress — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:47:00 GMT

We are working on the patching model that will be used for SQL Server 2008 Express and we're considering a change that I wanted to get your feedback on. Please take a moment to answer a few questions; feel free to answer through a comment to this post or by clicking the EMAIL link at the top of the blog.

We are considering separating the patching process from the new install process such that the SQL Express package (such as SQLEXPR_x86_ENU.exe) would be used for new installations of the most current service release and patching of existing installations would be done using the same patch as the rest of SQL Server 2008. (Historically we have created a single installer package for SQL Express that could both install a new instance and update an existing instance.) Is this a good or bad plan? (Why?)
What would the impact to you or your company be if we choose the model that doesn't work for you? (i.e. How many installs are impacted? Would you have to re-write your application installer? Etc.)
If the new model causes the SQL Express package to grow, is that a major concern for your scenario? (How much could it grow by % without concerning you?)

Thanks for your feedback on this.

- Mike

BIDS or Bust: Writing reports in SQL Express 2008

sqlexpress — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:57:00 GMT

I asked for your oppinions about a new Report Designer in one of my earlier posts in this blog. I wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to offer feedback and for those of you who even filed a bug or two. As you've probably already guessed from the title, our ultimate decision was to stick with Business Intellegence Developers Studio for report design in SQL Express with Advanced Services 2008.

It's always a tough decision to make trade-offs between different scenarios and this case was no different. Stick with the rich, developer experience offered by the Visual Studio integration of BIDS or move to a more end-user focused experience that is friendly looking but doesn't have the developer features. (I know you're going to suggest that we just hand out both, but hey, it's a free product so you only get one. We have to share the new stuff with the other Editions too.) We desided to continue supporting the developer scenarios and will continue to offer BIDS are part of the Express family.

Not to worry, many of the advances in the design surface are shared between both BIDS and the new Report Builder. There are also some advances in Reporting Services Express it self, which I'll share when we're closer to releasing a CTP of that.

While the discussion about Report Builder is done, the February CTP has just begun. You can download it from here. (Bottom of the page under the Instructions heading. It's a bit hard to find on the page so keep looking.) I look forward to your feedback.

- Mike

Opinion Poll: Creating Reports in SQL Express 2008

sqlexpress — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 03:09:00 GMT

The Reporting Services team is developing a new report designer tool that we're considering including in SQL Server Express 2008 with Advanced Services. This new report designer has a different user experience that is more geared toward information workers than developers. You can take a look at a preview of the new designer by downloading the SQL Server Developer 2008 November CTP. Once installed, you can find it at Start | All Programs | Microsoft SQL Server 2008 | Reporting Services | Report Designer Preview.

So why am I telling you this?

I'm interested in your opinions of this tool and the idea of having the new Report Designer as part of SQL Express instead of BIDs. (Don't worry: BIDs will still be available in other SQL Server 2008 editions, just not in Express.) I think the look and feel of the new Report Designer will be easier to use for most SQL Express users while still offering all the major report design functionality that folks need.

The only features that won't be exposed in the new designer are related to more advanced development tasks, such as creating managed assemblies to use in your reports.

Reply requested

Register your opinion about this change by either posting a comment in this blog or by using the EMAIL link at the top of the blog to send mail to the team. We're interested in what you think.

Provide feedback

If you have feedback on the new Report Designer (features or bugs) you can post those through MS Connect, start at https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer. You will have to register on the site to gain access, but once you do you will find information about our Community Technology Previews (CTPs) and a place to post your feedback.

Mike

SQL Express team

SQL Express SP2 - November CTP now available

sqlexpress — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 02:50:10 GMT

The November CTP of SQL Express SP2 is available at a download center near you. As I've written before, SQL Express SP1 has a few known issues when running on Windows Vista, SP2 is where we've addressed these issues and is what we recommend using for Vista compatibility in your applications. The CTP is available from the Microsoft Download Center:

SQL Express SP2 CTP

SQL Express with Advanced Services SP2 CTP

SQL Express Toolkit SP2 CTP

These CTPs are not for production distribution, but you should feel free to start testing your applications. We will be posting SQL Express SP2 to Microsoft Update (read my post about that here), and the CTP is your chance to validate this release with your applications and ensure they work before you customers apply it in the wild.

Feel free to file any issues you find in the SQL Server Feedback Center.

- Mike

Keeping Express up to Date

sqlexpress — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 06:07:00 GMT

Two of the tenets that were important to us as we designed SQL Server 2005 were called "Secure by Default" and "Secure by Design." These tenets are manifest in a number of ways throughout the product. Examples in SQL Express include the fact that we install the minimum components required to get a functioning database and that we don't enable network protocols in a default installation. (The issue of remote connectivity generates a bunch of question of it's own, but that's not today's topic. If I've peaked your interest, check out the KB article 914277: How to configure SQL Server 2005 to allow remote connections to learn more.)

Another important way to improve the security of an application is to make sure it is easy to update it to the latest version. In the language of the business, this is called "servicing" the application. We're going to improve the Servicing of SQL Express, when we release Service Pack 2, by making it available on Microsoft Update as a recommended update. Having SQL Express on Microsoft Update is a continuation of the work we started by making Service Pack 1 of the other Editions of SQL Server 2005 available on Microsoft Update. SQL Express will be detected when you scan your computer, right along with other Microsoft applications, and you will have the ability to select the update and have it applied to your computer. The other significant benefit of having SQL Express serviced using Microsoft Update is the ability to issue Critical Updates, should the need arise, and have them automatically downloaded and/or installed based on the setting on the computer. You will still be able to download the latest version of SQL Express from the SQL Express download page to install new instances.

This new servicing model has some ramifications for developers who include SQL Express as a component in their applications. Microsoft Update will detect and update all instances of SQL Express on the computer. Developers need to be aware of upcoming service pack releases and get involved in the Community Technology Previews for each service pack. Participation in the CTP and reporting issues is the best way to help Microsoft ensure that we don't break backwards compatibility in our service packs. Obviously, it's always our goal that existing applications continue to work, the CTP is a safety valve to help achieve that goal.

Before you even ask, I don't have any dates for Service Pack 2 or the CTP. I'll post them when I can. Keep an eye on the SQL Server 2005 Home Page and the SQL Server 2005 Developer Center for announcements and dates.

Mike

SQL Express Beta 2 coming soon

sqlexpress — Thu, 22 Jul 2004 03:27:00 GMT

The full Beta 2 version of SQL Express is coming soon. While the Beta 2 release will not add any new features, it does contain many bug fixes that were not in the Tech Preview. We recommend upgrading to Beta 2 as soon as it is available.

Unfortunately, the Beta 2 build requires a later build of the .NET Framework than the Tech Preview. You will need to uninstall the 2.0 Framework and download the updated version from the Express download page before attempting to install Express Beta 2. Also, SQL Express Beta 2 and Tech Preview builds cannot be installed side by side on the same machine. This means that if you have Express installed you will need to uninstall all the Tech Preview components before attempting to install Beta 2. You can find a preview of the download page instructions below:

· Step 1: Use Add/Remove Programs to remove any earlier version (lower than 9.00.852) of SQL Server 2005 components (if any). Remove all of the following components (if exists) in the same order as listed below:

Microsoft SQL Server "Yukon" Beta 1
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Beta 2
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Beta 2
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Tools Beta 2
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Tools Express Edition Beta 2
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Data Transformation Services Beta 2
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services Beta 2
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Notification Services Beta 2
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services Beta 2
Microsoft SQL Server Setup Support Files
Microsoft SQL Native Client

Note: It is not necessary to remove previous versions of SQL Server such as SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 7.0 or any earlier versions.

· Step 2: Use Add/Remove Programs to remove Microsoft .NET Framework Versions 1.2 or 2.0, if installed.

Note: It is not necessary to uninstall Microsoft .NET Framework Versions 1.0 and 1.1.

· Step 3: Download and install the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 available at Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 download center page.

· Step 4: Install SQL Server Express by clicking the Download button on the upper right corner of this page. SQLExpr.exe is a self-extracting installation package of SQL Server Express. Save SQLExpr.exe file to your computer.