- SQL Server Express
-
Microsoft SQL Server Express, a freely downloadable and distributable version of Microsoft's SQL Server relational database management system, comprises a database specifically targeted for embedded and smaller-scale applications.
Contents
Capabilities
Unlike its predecessor, MSDE, it lacks a concurrent workload-governor to "limit performance if the database engine receives more work than is typical of a small number of users."[1] It has a number of technical restrictions (which make it unsuitable for some large-scale deployments) including:
- Maximum database size of 4 GB per database (10 GB for SQL Server Express 2008 R2;[2] compared to 2 GB in the former MSDE). The limit applies per database (log files excluded); but in some scenarios users can access more data through the use of multiple interconnected databases.[citation needed]
- No SQL Server Agent service[3]
- Hardware-utilization limits:
- Single physical CPU, but multiple cores allowable[4]
- 1 GB of RAM (runs on a system with any RAM amount, but uses only at most 1 GB)
Although its predecessor, MSDE, generally lacked basic GUI management tools,[5] SQL Server Express includes several GUI tools for database management. These include:
- SQL Server Management Studio Express
- SQL Server Configuration Manager
- SQL Server Surface Area Configuration tool
- SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio.
Features available in SQL Server "Standard" and better editions but absent from SQL Server Express include:
Variants
Microsoft makes SQL Server Express available as:
- An integrated edition with management tools
- Core database-engine only
- A SQL Server Express with Advanced Services edition (first introduced relatively late in Q2 2006 compared to the original release) with a reduced-functionality version of SQL Server Reporting Services and with full-text search capabilities
In the Free 2005 Express version, for example, a standard approach to installation options was provided (as follows). Generally the SQL 2005 Express installers are packaged with the following consistent naming convention:
- SQLEXPR.EXE
- Has installers for BOTH 32-bit & 64-bit processors, but is a basic install
- SQLEXPR32.EXE
- Has ONLY the installer for 32-bit processors (still the basic install)
- SQLEXPR_ADV.EXE
- Has the basics AND SQL Server Management Studio Express (SSMSE) + Reporting & Full Text Queries
- SQLEXPR_TOOLKIT.EXE
- Has the basics and SSMSE and Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS)
These optional variants have gone through several service packs, and each SP installer can be used without using the older ones first:
- Originals of the above files all carry the version number 9.0.1399.6
- Service Pack 2 (SP2) versions all carry the version number 9.0.3042
- Service Pack 3 (SP3) versions all carry the version number 9.00.4035
- Service Pack 4 (SP4) versions all carry the version number 9.00.5000
Whilst the naming and versioning has been very consistent and simple, many reports exist on the web of major installation problems, which in some cases can be traced back to using installers of different names and versions to attempt to install only parts of what they provide. This results in apparent partial installation failures. In general the best approach is to uninstall an older service pack completely and then reinstall all that is needed from the appropriately named file of the latest SP.
See also
- SQL Server Compact
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Windows Server System
- List of relational database management systems
- Comparison of relational database management systems
References
- ^ "The SQL Server 2000 Workload Governor". MSDN. January 2004. http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/Aa224554(SQL.80).aspx. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
- ^ "Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2008 R2". http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc645993(v=SQL.105).aspx. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ^ "Compare Edition Features". http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/editions-compare.aspx.
- ^ "How SQL Server 2005 Express Edition determines the CPU count and uses the CPUs during processing". MSDN. November 2008. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914278. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
- ^ "How do I Manage SQL Server". http://sqlserver2000.databases.aspfaq.com/how-do-i-manage-sql-server/msde.html.
External links
- SQL Server 2005 Express Edition product page at microsoft.com
- SQL Server 2008 Express Edition product page at microsoft.com
- SQL Server 2008 Express - Get Started Now! download page at microsoft.com
- SQL Server 2008 Comparison of features by edition
- SQL Server Express WebLog
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