SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE)

MSDE 2000 is a royalty-free, redistributable database engine that is fully compatible with SQL Server. MSDE 2000 is designed primarily to provide a low-cost option for developers who need a database server that can be easily distributed and installed with a value-added business solution. Because it is fully compatible with other editions of SQL Server, developers can easily target both SQL Server and MSDE 2000 with the same core code base. This provides a seamless upgrade path from MSDE 2000 to SQL Server if an application grows beyond the storage and scalability limits of MSDE 2000.

Important Note: Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) will not be supported on the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. If you plan to build an application and redistribute a database with it, you should consider using SQL Server 2005 Express Edition instead. For more information, see Running SQL Server on Windows Vista.

Upgrade to SQL Server 2005 Express Edition

If you're using MSDE 1.0 or 2000, you should know about the new SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. SQL Server Express is a free, easy to use, redistributable version of SQL Server 2005 designed for building simple data-driven applications. Design schemas, add data, and query local databases, all inside the Visual Studio 2005 environment. If you need more advanced database features, then SQL Server Express can be seamlessly upgraded to more sophisticated versions of SQL Server.

	MSDE Web Resource Kit Learn the right way to take advantage of MSDE as the database for your Web application. Plus, get illustrative samples in both C# and Visual Basic .NET for a range of development environments.
	See the MSDE Deployment Toolkit in Action Integrate MSDE 2000 deployment functionality into your application installation package with minimal effort, and build a reusable installer class.
	Integrating MSDE 2000 with Your Applications Learn about the options available to you for distributing MSDE with your application.
	Choosing and Using MSDE 2000 as the Database Engine for Your Application This roadmap shows you how to get and install the Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) 2000 and use it as your application's database engine: integrate it with Access or SQL Server, manage it with OSQL, implement security and authentication, and do back-ups and replication.
	Understanding the MSDE 2000 Workload Governor The Workload Governor is designed to limit performance if the database engine receives more work than is typical for a small number of users, so that you can design your MSDE applications appropriately.
	Upgrading from MSDE 1.0 to MSDE 2000 Understand the additional options that you must specify to upgrade from Microsoft Desktop Engine 1.0 to SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine.