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Barbara Darrow at CRN reports on Another Vista Wrinkle: Latest Database Required:
When the Windows Vista client finally ships, VARs will have to make sure database customers are running the latest-and-greatest SQL Server bits as well.
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Late last month, Microsoft posted FAQs and information on database requirements for Vista on its site, but the information may have been lost in the summer doldrums. While this wasn’t exactly a state secret, many in the database community were caught unaware. The latest newsletter from the SQL Server Worldwide Users Group (SSWUG) touted the news this week.Of particular concern is the fact that there will be no support of the older Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE), a small, embeddable version of older SQL Server releases. Many customers may have MSDE running and not even know it.
Indeed. It gets installed by a variety of application software like Microsoft’s Small Business Accounting 2006 which shipped last September.
In addition to the above Microsoft link, also see Microsoft’s SQL Server 2000 (including MSDE) on Windows Vista FAQ, but the net is that MSDE users are out of luck on a Vista upgrade unless your software vendor has a fix because SQL Server Express and MSDE aren’t necessarily compatible. Also note that MSDE may well run on Vista, but that the Microsoft position is that it will not be supported.
November 8th, 2006 at 10:47 AM
[...] All of the above are available now. Still in the oven however is SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 (SP2) for which a new Community Technology Preview (CTP) was released yesterday. It’s required for Vista because, as mentioned here previously, it provides SQL Server Express Edition which replaces the Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE) used by some Microsoft and 3rd party applications, but which is not supported on Vista. [...]
December 15th, 2006 at 7:55 PM
[...] More wrong conclusions - Vista flaw could haunt Microsoft. True, SQL Server 2005 Express SP2 with Vista support is late, but it has nothing to do with enterprise installations of SQL Server and competiton in that space with Oracle and IBM. It has everything to do with desktop applications from Microsoft and third parties which years ago bought into using the functionality of a desktop version of SQL Server which doesn’t exist yet in Vista compatible form. [...]
February 19th, 2007 at 6:58 PM
[...] Follow the link or hit the “What’s New” page for details on the functional enhancements, some of which add Office 2007 compatibility, but the big one from my perspective is the arrival of a free Vista compatible desktop version of SQL Server Express for all the ISVs (including Microsoft) who have been depending on the now unsupported SQL Server 2000 MSDE as an embedded desktop database for their applications. Vendors will still have to modify and test their applications however. [...]