Installing VS project (sql database required) on Machine WITHOUT Microsoft SQL

Hello.. I have a new VS2012 application that requires an SQL database on the customer machine. Might also need to be mapped to a 2012 Server.
What do I need to install on the customer machines? SQL Lite ? Just the deployment files? Is there a Microsoft provided install shield for this.
what what what ???

thanks

gollnick

There are many options, but I recommend installing an SQL Express instance, it is royalty free from Microsoft. That way you may install SSMS and other applications. You can have just a local database but it may lose some capabilities in terms of security and power.

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Originally Posted by gollnick

I have a new VS2012 application that requires an SQL database on the customer machine.

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What does that actually mean? There's not really any such thing as a "SQL database". SQL is a language used to manipulate databases and pretty much every database available these days is SQL-compliant, although the specifics of the SQL implementation varies.

When people around here say "SQL database", they are usually lazily referring to a Microsoft SQL Server database. If that's what you're doing then you need to install Microsoft SQL Server. SQLite is not SQL Server so it will be of no use. As suggested, SQL Server Express is free and it can handle databases up to 10 GB. It lacks some advanced features but has more than enough for the average use case.

The SQL Server Express database engine can be installed automatically with your application if you build your installer in VS and various other tools could do the same. Alternatively, you can download various SQL Server Express installers from Microsoft with various levels of functionality.