Connecting Visual Studio to remote SQLExpress

Hello all,

I've been trying to find an answer to this to no avail. I'm not even sure if its possible. I like to do development at home in addition to work, like most of you do. Since it is my home computer, I like to play games, so I try to keep applications to a minimum. I would like to install sqlexpress on a virtual machine (which I have successfully done), and I can connect to it via Management Studio on my local machine (non-vm). Is there a way to set visual studio to use this connection as opposed to local host? I really do not want to load sqlexpress on my local machine and have yet another thing tying up system resources.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Barret

Visual Studio should use the same connection process (string) as SSMS.

Also, you have VM tying up resouces that are not then available to SQL or VS. Using a VM is an excellent way to constrain and protect various environments -as long as you clearly realize that you are consuming both VM and Client resouces. It is a small price for the compartmentalization, and has a performance hit. Often worth the performance hit, but use caution when setting benchmarks and performance timing...

|||

The answer to the VS question is Yes and No.

If you are writing code to make a manual connection to SQL Express, you can happily use the copy of SQL Express on the VM. Make sure you have correctly enabled it for remote connectons since you are technically connecting to a different computer. If you are trying to work with the database integration features of VS that allow you to create database direclty in your project and work with them using User Instances, then you can not use the copy on your VM. User Instances are only supported via local connections, there is no way to configure VS to use a remote copy of SQL Express to support that.

Mike

|||Thanks Mike!

Not the answer I was hoping for, but it is the answer I needed :)

Thanks again,
Barret

Connecting Visual Studio to remote SQLExpress

Hello all,

I've been trying to find an answer to this to no avail. I'm not even sure if its possible. I like to do development at home in addition to work, like most of you do. Since it is my home computer, I like to play games, so I try to keep applications to a minimum. I would like to install sqlexpress on a virtual machine (which I have successfully done), and I can connect to it via Management Studio on my local machine (non-vm). Is there a way to set visual studio to use this connection as opposed to local host? I really do not want to load sqlexpress on my local machine and have yet another thing tying up system resources.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Barret

Visual Studio should use the same connection process (string) as SSMS.

Also, you have VM tying up resouces that are not then available to SQL or VS. Using a VM is an excellent way to constrain and protect various environments -as long as you clearly realize that you are consuming both VM and Client resouces. It is a small price for the compartmentalization, and has a performance hit. Often worth the performance hit, but use caution when setting benchmarks and performance timing...

|||

The answer to the VS question is Yes and No.

If you are writing code to make a manual connection to SQL Express, you can happily use the copy of SQL Express on the VM. Make sure you have correctly enabled it for remote connectons since you are technically connecting to a different computer. If you are trying to work with the database integration features of VS that allow you to create database direclty in your project and work with them using User Instances, then you can not use the copy on your VM. User Instances are only supported via local connections, there is no way to configure VS to use a remote copy of SQL Express to support that.

Mike

|||Thanks Mike!

Not the answer I was hoping for, but it is the answer I needed :)

Thanks again,
Barret

Connecting to SQL Server 2005 Express

I am having major issues connecting to SQL Server 2005 Express from Visual Basic 2005 Express, which I have tried on multiple PCs but to no avail. Can somebody please explain to me what I'm doing wrong?

1) I install SQL Server 2005 Express and Visual Basic 2005 Express (With .NET framework and SQL native client of course)
2) I open SQL Server using Management Studio and going in with windows authentication. It automatically sets the log on name to computername\SQLEXPRESS.
3) I create a new database called Test and add one table to it
4) I go into Visual Basic 2005 and create a new project.
5) I go to the projects application settings (Properties - Settings).
6) I set up a new connection string, choosing SQL server as the conection type and then on the Connection Properties window it asks me to select the mdf file for the database. I choose the file Test.mdf from the directory C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data\
7) I click on Test Connection.

When I do this on two out of the three home PCs I get the error:
Unable to open the physical file "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data\Test.mdf".Operating system error 32: "32 (error not found)".
An attempt to attach an auto-named database for file C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data\Test.mdf failed. A database with the same name exists, or specified file cannot be opened, or it is located on UNC share.

The third PC gives me a different error:

Cannot open user default database. Login failed. Login failed for user 'DAVE\David'.

I get the same errors when I try to use a connection string inside the code directly. Does anyone have a clue as to why these errors are occuring? Do I need to set up security or something else on the database first, or is there another reason? If anyone can please help me get to the bottom of this or provide a web address where I can get the answer (step by step instructions on how to connect) then I would be most grateful.

error code 32 means:
"The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process."

So, either use a different file name for your connection in Visual Basic 2005, or try disconnect your connection in SQL Server using Management Studio.

|||

pse post the Connection string... it seems like u r trying to attach a db called Test....

in the second error .. check what is the Default Database given for user DAVE\David.... the default database should exists and this user should be a user of that db.... for debuggin purpose ... just change the default database of this user to Master and try... it will connect...

Madhu

|||

Hi, I get the same error as the original poster of this thread. I have no other database with similar name or anything, and i have not, as far as i know, any other connections to this database, since I just created it. Do you have any idea of how I should go about this?

Thanks

Niclas

Connecting to SQL Server 2005 Express

I am having major issues connecting to SQL Server 2005 Express from Visual Basic 2005 Express, which I have tried on multiple PCs but to no avail. Can somebody please explain to me what I'm doing wrong?

1) I install SQL Server 2005 Express and Visual Basic 2005 Express (With .NET framework and SQL native client of course)
2) I open SQL Server using Management Studio and going in with windows authentication. It automatically sets the log on name to computername\SQLEXPRESS.
3) I create a new database called Test and add one table to it
4) I go into Visual Basic 2005 and create a new project.
5) I go to the projects application settings (Properties - Settings).
6) I set up a new connection string, choosing SQL server as the conection type and then on the Connection Properties window it asks me to select the mdf file for the database. I choose the file Test.mdf from the directory C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data\
7) I click on Test Connection.

When I do this on two out of the three home PCs I get the error:
Unable to open the physical file "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data\Test.mdf".Operating system error 32: "32 (error not found)".
An attempt to attach an auto-named database for file C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data\Test.mdf failed. A database with the same name exists, or specified file cannot be opened, or it is located on UNC share.

The third PC gives me a different error:

Cannot open user default database. Login failed. Login failed for user 'DAVE\David'.

I get the same errors when I try to use a connection string inside the code directly. Does anyone have a clue as to why these errors are occuring? Do I need to set up security or something else on the database first, or is there another reason? If anyone can please help me get to the bottom of this or provide a web address where I can get the answer (step by step instructions on how to connect) then I would be most grateful.

error code 32 means:
"The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process."

So, either use a different file name for your connection in Visual Basic 2005, or try disconnect your connection in SQL Server using Management Studio.

|||

pse post the Connection string... it seems like u r trying to attach a db called Test....

in the second error .. check what is the Default Database given for user DAVE\David.... the default database should exists and this user should be a user of that db.... for debuggin purpose ... just change the default database of this user to Master and try... it will connect...

Madhu

|||

Hi, I get the same error as the original poster of this thread. I have no other database with similar name or anything, and i have not, as far as i know, any other connections to this database, since I just created it. Do you have any idea of how I should go about this?

Thanks

Niclas