Re: Which Method to Create a Database Do I Use?

Hi Bill,

Ah, I hear ya. I've been on the Visual Studio team's case for a decade (even when I was working on the team) to get rights management tools integrated from SSMS. To be fair, VS is a "generic" tool designed to front a variety of backend databases, but each of the serious engines have rights management needs as well. In the code that the drag-and-drop wizards generate, they use the "User Instance=True" option in the Connection string that bypasses the rights issues entirely, but (as you'll read in the book), that too has issues of its own.

MS could've at least provided some meaningful message in response to connection errors. No database? No SQL server? Who knows? It's a freakin' black box. One that's failed about 99% of the time for me. But let's not go nuts--we're busy adding new features!

Anyway, I'm revisiting this now. I got your book--I seriously doubt VS2005 will be the current version by the time I get through it. But the more I think about how connecting to a database is setup and the trouble it's been, the more it just pisses me off.

Just had to vent. Thanks.

--
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com


____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com/blog/billva
www.betav.com
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jonathan Wood" <jwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:u2ZYRwFrHHA.1208@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks Bill. I'll check out all those links. However, I really feel I should express frustration that, aside from the complexity associated with connecting to SQL Server, it amazes me that a product like Visual Studio, which has grown to include database tools and a small Web server engine, requires me to download additional tools if I want my application to actually be able to connect to the database.

Go figure. <g>

--
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

"William (Bill) Vaughn" <billvaRemoveThis@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:eLCoHFErHHA.3924@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
There are several articles up there including this one. The search engine works on this site, so just search on "Connecting".
As to the rights management, this is done through SQL Server Management studio. For the Express edition you need to download it from Microsoft from here. More instructions are here, here and here.

No, I can't say that things have gotten easier to use over the years--they haven't. It's increasingly difficult for developers to establish connections to SQL Server--especially in an ASP application.

hth


--
____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com/blog/billva
www.betav.com
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jonathan Wood" <jwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:OKn7mj7qHHA.4324@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm going to order your book. But if I do it online, I won't have it for a
while. Can you help me find this white paper that addresses this? I browsed
one of your links but it's pretty linear and didn't see anything that looked
like what you described.

BTW, on my new Vista machine, the start menu includes:

Microsoft SQL Server 2005
>> Configuration Tools
>> SQL Server Configuration Manager
>> SQL Server Error and Usage Reporting
>> SQL Server Surface Area Configuration

I briefly ran SQL Server Configuration Manager but didn't run across
anything about access rights, and I'm unsure if that's the tool to help me
if I'm using SQL Server Express.

Thanks.

--
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

"William (Bill) Vaughn" <billvaRemoveThis@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23V0IXa7qHHA.4764@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Okay, once the database is built, you have to get rights to access it. SQL
Server has two security modes: SSPI (or Integrated) and "SQL Server"
authentication. The latter is disabled by default which means you'll need
to depend on SSPI security. This mode assumes that the Windows User (you
in the case of a Windows Forms application) or IIS (in an ASP application)
has rights to access the SQL Server itself and the database mentioned as
the initial catalog in the Connection String.
To set this up, you need to use SQL Server Management Studio (Express) to
make sure that the IIS account for your server has rights to the database.
See the whitepapers on my blog for a few more details or Chapter 9 of my
book for a lot more...


--
____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com/blog/billva
www.betav.com
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jonathan Wood" <jwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ONo$zu6qHHA.4108@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi Bill,

In fact, I visited the bookstore today, but looks like I'd most likely
need to go online to find yours.

But I could sure use some help. Is there any clue you could offer as to
the following?

I right-clicked my App_Data folder in the Solution Explorer and selected
Add New Item.

I added an SQL Database named BlackBelt (BlackBelt.mdf). This worked and
I was able to define several tables and relationships and also populate
the tables.

Then I placed the following in my web.config file:

<add name="BlackBelt"
connectionString="Server=localhost\SQLEXPRESS;Integrated
security=SSPI;Initial Catalog=BlackBelt"/>

My code then includes the following line:

string connString =
WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["BlackBelt"].ToString();

But the following code produces an error:

using (SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection(connString))
{
// Open database connection
conn.Open(); // ERROR HERE

The error is:

"Cannot open database "BlackBelt" requested by the login. The login
failed. Login failed for user 'Jonathan-PC\Jonathan'."

I do not get the SSPI part and if I change that to True, I get the same
exact same error except that it does not show it to me in the IDE like
the first syntax did.

I would be extremely grateful for even the slightest clue.

Thanks.

--
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com

"William (Bill) Vaughn" <billvaRemoveThis@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23qEMG7vqHHA.1208@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The DBO you're seeing in the server explorer is the database "owner"
designation. This permits the server to tie the identity of the object
(the database in this case) to a specific user/login account.
I've written a number of whitepapers on connecting that can be found on
my blog. I also devote an entire chapter to the subject in my book. Yes,
it can be very frustrating until you get a feel for how things work.
Lots of folks have figured it out, even old guys like me... ;)

hth

--
____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com/blog/billva
www.betav.com
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest
book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jonathan Wood" <jwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uxKoO0vqHHA.3372@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Bill,

I don't know why this is so infuriatingly difficult. I would say I get
a successful database connection maybe one out of every hundred
attempts. And the messages are virtually useless.

Here's the current:

{"Cannot open database \"BlackBelt\" requested by the login. The login
failed.\r\nLogin failed for user 'Jonathan-PC\\Jonathan'."}

I don't know how much hair I can withstand pulling out before this
starts making a bit of sense to me.

Thanks.

(Also, I noticed that, when I create a database via the Server
Explorer, it appears to create a DBO file instead of an MDF file. There
seems to be other differences as well. I've been programming for a
hundred years (almost) but feel completely useless right now.)

--
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com


"William (Bill) Vaughn" <billvaRemoveThis@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23UKpvJvqHHA.4624@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Either method is acceptable. They both create a database .mdf file
that can be populated with appropriate schema. As a matter of fact,
there are probably a half-dozen ways to create a database and populate
it with schema. The fact that you're going to use it in an ASP project
suggests that the SQL Server engine be located on another system in a
heavily used production application, but for most other installations
it does not make much difference.

I discuss how to decide in depth in my book.

--
____________________________________
William (Bill) Vaughn
Author, Mentor, Consultant
Microsoft MVP
INETA Speaker
www.betav.com/blog/billva
www.betav.com
Please reply only to the newsgroup so that others can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
__________________________________
Visit www.hitchhikerguides.net to get more information on my latest
book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)
and Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition (EBook)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jonathan Wood" <jwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23iHid8uqHHA.3380@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It appears there are two methods for creating a database as part of
an ASP project.

I can use the Server Explorer and create a database that I can't
easily see as a file, and create a connection. On the other hand, I
can right click in the Solution Explorer window and select Add New
Item, and then create an SQL Database. This creates an MDF file
directly.

I'm having trouble getting up to speed on the database stuff and have
two seemingly unrelated ways to create my database makes it all the
more confusing.

Can anyone explain the difference between these two methods, and then
help me understand which is the best method for creating a database
to be used by my Web page?

Thanks!

--
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com















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