Set up a local SQL Server DB on my dev box

[d000hg]

I'm developing in C# in Visual Studio 2013, and I want to create a simple SQLServer DB mirroring one the software will talk to - a few tables and a handful of dummy stored procs.

I've done a fair bit of C# and SQL but I don't know SQLServer and the built-in Visual Studio tools, so it's unclear to me how I can most easily get these stored procs running on my dev-box so I can run my code locally. I can install SQLServer Express but do I actually need to run a full DB environment, or does Visual Studio provide some neat way of running up a trivial DB for me when my application starts up? Running SQLServer seems a bit heavyweight when I want little more than 5 stored-procs that return hard-coded values!

Visual Studio's DB connection, datasources, SQL server database project type, are confusing me as to what the easy/good way to do this is... and it's too broad a question to ask on StackOverflow. Can anyone advise me?

[Unix]

I'm developing in C# in Visual Studio 2013, and I want to create a simple SQLServer DB mirroring one the software will talk to - a few tables and a handful of dummy stored procs.

I've done a fair bit of C# and SQL but I don't know SQLServer and the built-in Visual Studio tools, so it's unclear to me how I can most easily get these stored procs running on my dev-box so I can run my code locally. I can install SQLServer Express but do I actually need to run a full DB environment, or does Visual Studio provide some neat way of running up a trivial DB for me when my application starts up? Running SQLServer seems a bit heavyweight when I want little more than 5 stored-procs that return hard-coded values!

Visual Studio's DB connection, datasources, SQL server database project type, are confusing me as to what the easy/good way to do this is... and it's too broad a question to ask on StackOverflow. Can anyone advise me?

Use LocalDB it is just a file but mimics SQL Server you can access it through VS interface.

/thread

[d000hg]

I've come across LocalDB - seen examples of connection strings and MDF files - but not understood how it fits into VS i.e. how do I actually create a LocalDB DB, do I need any other software installed beyond VS, etc.

Got a link to a tutorial or even a good Google search term? Once I get started I'll be fine but I don't know exactly what the question is I want to ask!

[Unix]

I've come across LocalDB - seen examples of connection strings and MDF files - but not understood how it fits into VS i.e. how do I actually create a LocalDB DB, do I need any other software installed beyond VS, etc.

Got a link to a tutorial or even a good Google search term? Once I get started I'll be fine but I don't know exactly what the question is I want to ask!

It should come with visual studio and should already be installed. Try connecting via Server Explorer

[quackhandle]

AFAIAA, SQL Express won't do DB Mirroring, you'll need Developer Edition for that (if I understand correctly that's what you want to do).

And one month after I purchased SQL 2014 developer, M$ announces it is now free.

qh

[d000hg]

AFAIAA, SQL Express won't do DB Mirroring, you'll need Developer Edition for that (if I understand correctly that's what you want to do).

And one month after I purchased SQL 2014 developer, M$ announces it is now free.

qh

Inasmuch as I understand what you mean, I don't think my needs require anything so fancy. This is purely so I can run my C# code on my dev box and the stored proc/table it wants to interact exists. It's not even a test DB, just a local throwaway one that can/should be destroyed/created when I launch VS for all I care. Almost the same principle as SQLLite but it needs to be actual SQLServer.

[suityou01]

Inasmuch as I understand what you mean, I don't think my needs require anything so fancy. This is purely so I can run my C# code on my dev box and the stored proc/table it wants to interact exists. It's not even a test DB, just a local throwaway one that can/should be destroyed/created when I launch VS for all I care. Almost the same principle as SQLLite but it needs to be actual SQLServer.

So why won't the express version do what you need?

[vetran]

And one month after I purchased SQL 2014 developer, M$ announces it is now free.

qh

oh ta for that!

[d000hg]

So why won't the express version do what you need?

I don't think I even need the Express edition, that's rather the point - I want to use LocalDB which is part of VS.

I've set up a SQL Server VS project and upon publishing it runs up a DB instance but seemingly against SQLServer (which I apparently installed in the past) not LocalDB. I see localhost and LocalDB listed as DB servers but I can't seem to tell VS to deploy my DB project to LocalDB.

Since it's working (I think) on my box I might not care so much, it's just a little non-obvious how you're supposed to do this.