Installing SQL Server Compact

Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0 is a relational database with a compact footprint that is ideal for embedding and desktop applications. SQL Server Compact 4.0 supports the same SQL syntax and ADO.NET programming model as other editions of SQL Server. The management tool for SQL Server Compact 4.0 is Visual Studio Server Explorer. The development environment is Visual Studio 2010 Service Pack 1 or later versions.

SQL Server Compact 4.0 can also be used as a stand-alone database for personal information management (PIM) tools or other applications on the desktop computers. SQL Server Compact 4.0 is free to download, deploy and distribute.

SQL Server Compact 4.0 is available in two ways:

• Integrated with Microsoft WebMatrix

• As a download from the Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0 Web Platform Installer

This section describes how to install SQL Server Compact 4.0 and its various components.

Topic	Description
Hardware and Software Requirements	Lists hardware and software requirements for each system that is used with SQL Server Compact 4.0.
Installing a Development Environment	Describes the software that must be installed to form a development environment.
Installing and Deploying on a Desktop (SQL Server Compact)	Describes how to install SQL Server Compact 4.0 on a desktop.
Upgrading from Earlier Versions (SQL Server Compact)	Provides information about upgrading from earlier versions of SQL Server Compact 4.0.