How do I create a database on the fly in an install program?

i'll help ya throuh it but  first the porblems are?
1)how to intall bde?
2)creating dbat runtime -in the code or in the install shild(i didn't quite get it.
3)after the application is running test the conn ection?

wating to help ya
                 

Thanks for offering to help.
1) I'm using Youseful installation components (w/ sourcecode) , no InstallShield.  It comes with a TInstallBDE component which seems to work OK.  Prior to running sql scripts to create db, I will have installed BDE and the appropriate alias (user has choice of Oracle, Sybase, InterBase, and SQL Server).
2) All in the code.  What I'm trying is to add a TDataBase component to the project and use the execute method to run SQL scripts.  Haven't tested it yet though.
3) If I can create the db this way I think I can test the connection this way
too.
Here's what I have so far.  I'm still debugging other stuff so not sure if this will work:

case DBInstallType of
    idInstallLater:  exit;
    idAlreadyInstalled: exit;
    idInstallNow:
      begin
        try
          tempDB := TDatabase.Create(nil);
          tempDB.AliasName := 'MYALIAS';
          tempDB.LoginPrompt := false;
          tempDB.params.Add('PASSWORD = FOO');//ALIAS PROVIDES USER NAME
          tempDB.connected := true;
          scriptPath :=  GetDestDir + '\Server\Scripts';//GET SQL SCRIPTS (ALREADY INSTALLED ON CLIENT AT THIS POINT)
          tempStringList := TStringList.Create;
          tempStringList.LoadFromFile( scriptPath + '\Script1.sql');
          tempDB.execute( tempStringList.Text, nil, false, nil);
          tempStringList.LoadFromFile( scriptPath + '\Script2.sql');
          tempDB.execute( tempStringList.Text, nil, false, nil);
          tempStringList.LoadFromFile( scriptPath + '\Script3.sql');
          tempDB.execute( tempStringList.Text, nil, false, nil);
          tempDB.connected := false;
          tempDB.free;
          tempStringList.free;
        except
          on E: Exception do
          begin
            tempDB.free;
            tempStringList.free;
            MessageDlg(E.Message, mtError, [mbOk], 0);
          end;
        end;
      end;
    end;

i'm sorry ,Id didnt' quite get it--you're installing the DB component-just to check the connection at runtime?
and to run sql at runtime?
let me rephrase it: is the whole purpose of the code atrtached is to run sql at run time,without having any db component ?

tomer,
The purpose is to create tables, triggers, and stored procedures.  The code below kinda works: the problems are:
-loading the SQL scripts into a Stringlist via loadfromfile appends carriage return and line feed (#$A#$D) at the end of each String in the list, which needs to be parsed.  
-semicolons after SQL statements cause exceptions (ie 'select * from users' ok, 'select * from users;'is not).
My scripts have many statements (create tables, triggers, etc).  Parsing semicolons is a problem because the scripts contain procedures with semicolons that are not indicative of an 'end of SQL statement' condition.

The good news is that you can run a  simple script (ith a little parsing)to create tables and stuff.I'll leave this question open for a bit if anyone has comments or suggestions...
 
procedure TCustomInstall.InstallTheDatabase;
var
  tempDB : TDatabase;
  tempQuery : TQuery;
  tempStringList : TStringList;
  sqlStatement : String;
  scriptPath : String;  
begin
  //do we need to install?
  case DBInstallType of
    idInstallLater:  exit;
    idAlreadyInstalled: exit;//deprecated
    idInstallNow:
      begin
        try
          tempDB := TDatabase.Create(nil);
          tempQuery := TQuery.Create(nil);
          tempDB.AliasName := 'MYALIAS';
          tempDB.LoginPrompt := false;
          tempDB.DatabaseName := 'tempDB';
          tempDB.params.Add('USER NAME:BOB');//UserName
          tempDB.params.Add('PASSWORD:BOB');//+DBPassword
          tempQuery.DatabaseName := 'tempDB';
          tempDB.connected := true;
          scriptPath :=  GetDestDir + '\scripts';
          tempStringList := TStringList.Create;
         with tempQuery do
          begin
            sql.loadfromFile( scriptPath + '\test.sql');            
            Prepare;
            ExecSQL;
            SQL.Clear;
            tempStringList.Clear;
          end;  
          showMessage('Database created');//success!
          tempDB.connected := false;
          tempDB.free;
          tempStringList.free;
          tempQuery.free;
        except
          on E: Exception do
          begin
            tempDB.free;
            tempStringList.free;
            tempQuery.free;
            MessageDlg(E.Message, mtError, [mbOk], 0);
          end;
        end;
      end;
    end;
end;

ok,, I sat and thought about your problem,and as i can see it(SORRY VERY MUCH in case i'm wrong)but it's parsing the sql statments

in that case make a new Class(or something like that)lets call it TSqlStatment, that have the Parse,LoadFormFile... methods  and using TStringList to hold alot of staments--that can make debugging easier, and be more efficiant  ,,hope i helped :)

ok,, I sat and thought about your problem,and as i can see it(SORRY VERY MUCH in case i'm wrong)but it's parsing the sql statments

in that case make a new Class(or something like that)lets call it TSqlStatment, that have the Parse,LoadFormFile... methods  and using TStringList to hold alot of staments--that can make debugging easier, and be more efficiant  ,,hope i helped :)

ok,, I sat and thought about your problem,and as i can see it(SORRY VERY MUCH in case i'm wrong)but it's parsing the sql statments

in that case make a new Class(or something like that)lets call it TSqlStatment, that have the Parse,LoadFormFile... methods  and using TStringList to hold alot of staments--that can make debugging easier, and be more efficiant  ,,hope i helped :)

OK, never thought of making a new class but it makes sense.  Thanks!