I am trying to create a custom installation package that won't take my end users very many steps. Currently there are 4 - (1) Install .dot net (which I am not worried about because most of the machine have it already (and it runs with the setup.exe that I created from Visual Studio), (2) Install SQL Server Express with management studio (234 MB - ouch!) (3) Create the database by running the sql scripts within Management Studio and (4) install the software itself. Though this process does work, I would like to make it a little easier. Our end users aren't exactly technically savvy and will run into problems. Also with my limited experience of SQL Server, it is hard to rectify created instances, etc without a lot lof work that they won't understand. In addition, with our distribution strategy, it makes it hard with this many steps!
I would like to be able to have them just install the basic version of SQL Server Express (approx 30 MB) and have the database creation scripts create automatically. (Did I mention that our end users are impatient too?) I have created the setup.exe from Visual Studio and that is fine, except I need them to specify the Instance of the DB, and there isn't a way to prompt for that (as far as I can tell). (And if I leave it as the default, I need to be able to change the VB config file on the fly then...) It seems like you can do all of this independently but when it all tries to work together, it doesn't jive. (I also am just starting out with .net and sql server express...so I am not saying it isn't operator error)
When I create my SQL Scripts - is there a way to run them automatically? What if there is already an instance installed? (My scripts automatically try to create the first instance - I can change it manually - but I am not going to know what all of my users have installed!) What if I need to upgrade the DB? I wasn't sure how to create the checks for these? Oh and I just created the SQL Scripts but right clicking on the database and creating them. I added the insert statements, but other than that they were created by SQL Server.
Please let me know what else you need from me or if there is anything I can do to make this easier!!!
THANKS!
And then now my big question - is it possible to create all of this in one nice step?
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