Connecting to SQL Database?

I am very new to web development using Microsoft Visual Studio. (my primary expertise is Framemaker 2003). I am currently going through your ASP.NET 2.0 videos and reproducing the lesson content on my development system. I have Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition. I also have Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Microsoft SQL Server 2000, Microsoft .NET Framework SDK v1.1 and Microsoft .NET Framework SDK v2.0.

I seem to be having difficulties with the SQL interface because when I try to use the Property object from Lesson04, I get System.Web.HttpExceptioon {"Unable to connect to SQL Server database."}. When I subsequently tried to Add New Item - SQL Database from Lesson08, I get a Microsoft Visual Studio error box "Connections to SQL Server files (*.mdf) require SQL Server Express 2005 to function properly. Please verify the installation of the component or download from the URL:http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=49251"

Any ideas? I know the videos are based on use of the Microsoft Visual Studio Express -- are there significant configuration differences between it and Microsoft Visual Studio Professional that would make these lessons incompatible?

If you have SQL Server Express edition installed on the machine where Visual Studio Express edition is installed, the problem most likely lies in your web.config file. The web.config file holds configuration for we application. Look for a connectionStrings element in that file and verify that it is correct.

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There are significant differences between SqlServer 2005 and Sql Server 2005 Express. You must have the Sql Server 2005 Express addition to use databases in your App_Data directory. It sounds like you don't have Express installed.

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I am running these lessons on Microsoft Visual StudioProfessional, notExpress. Why would I then have to have SQL ServerExpress installed?

I need to learn how to develop these web applications using the Professional package, especially the ability to interface a web app with a MySql database.

Is there something about these videos that are unique to the Express versions of these tools?

NOTE: My development environment at work is a closed system -- there is no internet connection (DoD classified, etc). I have no Express version of the web development tools installed. What I do have is the full-blowned Professional Team version.

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You need some form of a database system to use some of the features of ASP.NET, like Membership and Roles. You can choose most major databases but you will need a "Provider" for the function you are trying to use.

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jguadagno:

You need some form of a database system to use some of the features of ASP.NET, like Membership and Roles. You can choose most major databases but you will need a "Provider" for the function you are trying to use.

Please forgive the ignorance: When I say I am NEW that is about as literal as you can get. "Provider"? Is there something I can do with a configuration file or something so that when I select "Website/Add New Item.../SQL Database" I don't get"Connections to SQL Server files (*.mdf) require SQL Server Express 2005 to function properly. Please verify the installation of the component or download from the URL:http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=49251"?

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If you want to add a SQL Server Database to your project you need to have either SQL Server, SQL Server Express or access to a SQL Server. Microsoft provides the "Providers" which implement certain functionality for SQL Server. If you want to use another database like Oracle or MySql, you will need a custom provider.

If you are just using the database for data access, you can use pretty much any database.

For more on the Provider model, check this outhttp://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa479030.aspx . It is about 120 pages.

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jguadagno:

If you want to add a SQL Server Database to your projectyou need to have either SQL Server, SQL Server Express or access to a SQL Server. Microsoft provides the "Providers" which implement certain functionality for SQL Server. If you want to use another database like Oracle or MySql, you will need a custom provider.

If you are just using the database for data access, you can use pretty much any database.

For more on the Provider model, check this outhttp://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa479030.aspx . It is about 120 pages.

That is not represented in this list?

I have Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition. I also haveMicrosoft SQL Server 2005, Microsoft SQL Server 2000, Microsoft .NET Framework SDK v1.1 and Microsoft .NET Framework SDK v2.0.

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The you will need to create a database on the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 server first. Here is some more information on SQL Serverhttp://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/default.aspx

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jguadagno:

The you will need to create a database on the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 server first. Here is some more information on SQL Serverhttp://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/default.aspx

Actually, I have done that and even updated the "connectString" configuration to point to the "Test" database I created. This is really a tangent to the intent of the the ASP.NET Lesson07, which is supposed to show my how to establish and connect to a SQL Database from within a web application development session.

I greatly appreciate your attempts to help me understand the database connectivity problem I am having. Your comments, however, isn't really addressing my main problem. My problem is directly related to the use of the "Add New Item...SQL Database" from within Visual Studio 2005 Professional. Regardless of what I do with MS SQL Server 2005 I still get the error "...requires SQL Server Express 2005 to function properly".

NOTE: I finally managed to download and install the free Visual Web Development Express 2005 on my home desktop. In addition to installing the Express version of Visual Studio 2005, it also installed the Express version of MS SQL Server. Without ANY configuration changes on my part, I reproduced the ASP.NET Lesson07 on my home desktop and had no problems.

Is there anyone out there that has reproduced these tutorials using Visual Studio 2005 Professional rather than the free Visual Web Development Express 2005.

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I'm having the same problem, the same error message when hit 'App-Data'->'add new item' -> 'SQL database'

I have SQL Server 2000 and 2005, VS professional, so I wondered why I need to install Express editions to make the samples work? there must be some ways, just that I dont know.