Installing SQL Server Compact
Microsoft SQL Server Compact is a relational database with a compact footprint that is ideal for embedding in device and desktop applications. SQL Server Compact supports the same SQL syntax and ADO.NET programming model as other editions of SQL Server. The management tools for SQL Server Compact are SQL Server Management Studio, SQL Server Management Studio Express, and Visual Studio Server Explorer. The development environment is Visual Studio 2008 or later versions.
SQL Server Compact can also be used as a stand-alone database for personal information management (PIM) tools or other applications on the supported devices and desktop computers. SQL Server Compact is free to download, deploy and distribute.
Important
A SQL Server Client Access License (CAL) is required for any connection to SQL Server, including a connection from SQL Server Compact.
SQL Server Compact is available in three ways:
- Integrated with SQL Server 2008 or later versions.
- Integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 or later versions.
- As a download from the Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 Web site
This section describes how to install SQL Server Compact and its various components.
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
Lists hardware and software requirements for each system that is used with SQL Server Compact. |
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Describes the prerequisite software and describes how to install and configure the software that is used with SQL Server Compact. |
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Describes the software that must be installed to form a development environment. |
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Describes the different types of SQL Server Compact server environments and the software that is required to exchange data with SQL Server. |
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Describes how to install SQL Server Compact on a device. |
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Describes how to install SQL Server Compact on a desktop. |
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Provides information about upgrading from earlier versions of SQL Server Compact. |