VB.NET app deployment

[makko]

I have an VB.NET app that connects to a local SQL SERVER EXPRESS database

On the computer I developed the application everything works ok but when I try to deploy the application on another computer with SQL SERVER EXPRESS installed an error message appears : << under the default settings SQL SERVER does not allow remote connections. (provider :SQL Network Interfaces, error 26 : Error Locating Server/Instance Specified) >>

Is it the connection string that is bad or the fact the on my machine I have an SQL SERVER EXPRESS instance named COMPUTER\MYNAME and on the deployment machine I have another instance name

[GaryMazzone]

If using SQL Express then ComputerName\SQLExpress (this is a named instance).

[makko]

that's exactly my problem ... ComputerName is different for every computer I install the application ... it must be an environment variable that emulates the ComputerName in VB.NET

For example if my computer has ComputerName='MAKKO' and the computer I must install the application has the ComputerName='SOMETHINGELSE' on my computer the environment variable has to be MAKKO and on other computer the environment variable should be SOMETHINGELSE

[jmcilhinney]

You shouldn't be using the machine name at all. This is from www.connectionstrings.com:

Data Source=.\SQLExpress;Integrated Security=true;AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|\mydb.mdf;User Instance=true;

That is also what VS does by default when you add a SQL Server database to your project.

You can also use "(local)" instead of the dot.

[makko]

thank you jmcilhinney ...

So i should use Data Source=.\SQLExpress; if I install an SQLExpress named instance

If i decide to install the default instance I would use Data Source=.; or
Data Source=(local); ???

And another question regarding SQL SERVER instalation ... At the 4th step of instalation USE THE BUILT IN SYSTEM ACCOUNT ... Should I choose Local System ? or Local Service / Network

[makko]

If I enter myself the following code :

AppDomain.CurrentDomain.SetData("DataDirectory", "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data")
Dim sqlconn As String = "Server=.;AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|test.mdf;Database=test;Trusted_Connection=Yes;"

string strSQL = “select * from table1”;
SqlDataAdapter dataAdapter = new SqlDataAdapter(strSQL, strCon);
SqlCommandBuilder commandBuilder = new SqlCommandBuilder(dataAdapter);
DataTable table = new DataTable();
table.Locale = System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture;
dataAdapter.Fill(table);
dbBindSource.DataSource = table;
dbGridView.AutoResizeColumns(DataGridViewAutoSizeColumnsMode.AllCellsExceptHeader);
dbGridView.ReadOnly = true;
dbGridView.DataSource = dbBindSource;

I get the result I want ...

But sometime I need to bind the tables to datagridview not from code but from designer ... And the designer creates automaticly an connection string like "Data Source=MYCOMPUTERNAME;Initial Catalog=test;Integrated Security=True"

What can I do so the designer creates an connection string like "Server=.;AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|test.mdf;Database=test;Trusted_Connection=Yes;"


Thx

[GaryMazzone]

SQLExpress is always a named instance. You don't have a choice in that.

[makko]

I resolved the problem ...

At the SqlServerExpress instalation :

- selected the 'default' instance
- selected the 'local system'

In the code if I want to connect without designer I create myself the connection string like "Server=.;AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|test.mdf;Database=test;Trusted_Connection=Yes;"

If I want to connect with designer the connection strings will look like "Data Source=MYCOMPUTERNAME;Initial Catalog=test;Integrated Security=True"
and I will replace mannualy the MYCOMPUTERNAME string with '.' character

For me that worked very well