Application Deployment Solution

I have written an application in vb.net using various tools and design methods. Now I am currently writing a Deployment solution to install this application on the server and then use the click once technology to install it on the clients. Now firstly I have a SQL database that I want to package with this solution, together with SQL Express, .net Framework 2 and 3, Sql Express Reporting Services. So how do I go about installing these required solutions for my program as well install the database and the reports into sql server with the click of a button or Is there a User manual available on the net that I might find useful to create a customized deployment solution using VS.net 2008 ?

The data file is easy because it's part of the project. It will be deployed by default. The .NET Framework is also included in a ClickOnce deployment by default. The default behaviour is for the Framework to be downloaded on-demand if and only if it's needed. You can change that behaviour in the Prerequisites dialogue so that the Framework is included in your deployment package and won't need to be downloaded separately. You can also select SQL Server Express to be installed the same way.

Reporting Services is not part of the standard SQL Server Express package. As far as I'm aware it's just the database engine that gets installed by ClickOnce. Reporting Services comes with the Advanced version of SQL Server Express, so you'd either have to create a prerequisite package for that yourself (instructions for creating such packages can be found at MSDN) or else install it separately. The reports would have to be deployed separately too.

Note that automatic deployment of the database relies on the fact that you're deploying a pre-baked MDF file and attaching it on-demand using the AttachDbFileName property in your connection string. If you want to create a database on the server itself that is always attached then ClickOnce can't do that for you. You'd have to create it separately in code, perhaps the first time your app runs.

Note that ClickOnce has its advantages but it also has limitations. If you are using VS Standard or better then you can use a Setup project and create a database on the server with a Custom Action, but then you lose some of the advantages of ClickOnce, most notably the automatic updates.

Moved To Application Deployment