Visual Database Tools confusion

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fresh Air Rider
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Fresh Air Rider

I have Visual C# Standard

If I use the Visual Tools to create a connection to SQL Server, I get
the following error :-

"Unable to connect to database
It is only possible to connect to SQL Server Desktop
Engine databases and Microsoft Access databases with this
version of Visual Studio"

This is obviously Microsoft's way of forcing users to purchase more
software from them.

I understand from reading the Microsoft.Public.DotNet usergroups that
this may be overcome by purchasing Visual Studio .Net Pro or higher.

To add to the confusion
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/howtobuy/choosing.aspx states the
following :-

Visual Database Tools
Design stored procedures, indexes, tables, triggers, user-defined
functions, and other database elements visually.
In Visual Studio .NET Professional, these design capabilities are
limited to the SQL Server Desktop Engine.

Can anyone please confirm that if I purchase Visual Studio .Net Pro I
will be able to visually create connections to SQL Server ?

I have successfully created connections to MS SQL Server in code but
am concerned that I may need to take on an existing project which
already contains these "Visual DB Connections" and my Visual C#
Standard will not be able to handle them.

Many thanks in advance
John
 
There really isn't such a thing as a "visual database connection." The visual tools can do lots of things for you like generate connection strings, but you certainly don't need any of the visual tools if you know how and are willing to do it manually in code.

Many of the visual tools generate code for you, but once it's there, it's there. So you don't need to worry about inherited projects containing connection strings generated by different versions of Visual Studio .NE

I use VS.NET pro and I can confirm that it allows you to connect to and use SQL Server 2000, although I don't usually take advantage of data access code generation

Just to be clear, higher versions of VS.NET can increase your productivity, but it's all about code in the end. There is, theoretically, no app that can't be coded with Notepad and the command line compiler as your only tools. However, I certainly am not going to volunteer to give up my copy of Visual Studio

Charlie
 
Hi Charlie

First of all, many thanks indeed for taking the time to reply to my
question.

It's always difficult to know which level of software to go for because
I have found that I can achieve a great deal with just Visual C#
Standard.

I tend to agree with you with regards to "hand coding" database
connections rather than doing it "visually" and it doesn't really take
much longer to do, especially with code completeion.

I think though, after reading your advice, I will purchase an MSDN
Professional sub which is about the same price as Visual Studio Pro but
will entitle me to receive all of the updates and hopefully "Whidbey"
when it comes out. I think that the Visual C# Standard that I have got
will also qualify me for the MSDN Pro Upgrade version.

You miss out on SQL Server with the MSDN Pro, but a developer version of
SQL Server only costs about £39.

I'm sure that I read somewhere that if you buy the MSDN Pro and later
decide to move up to the Enterprise, they let you upgrade.

If you're not careful though, you can end up spending thousands on these
subs and get a lot of software that you won't use.
As it is, I will probably never use things like Visual FoxPro, Visual
C++ and Visual J#.

Once again, many thanks for your advice.

Best wishes
John
 
Hi Charlie

May I ask just one more simple question ?

I know that it is possible to connect to SQL Server in code which I have
done successfully, but can you connect to SQL Server with Visual Studio
Professional in the following way ?

1). Click "Tools".
2). Click "Connect to database".
3). Enter connection details within "Data Link Properties" dialog box.
4). Click "O.K.".

This produces the error that I first mentioned in Visual C# Standard.

Many thanks
John
 
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