I need to copy several tables from one DB to another in SQL Server 2000, using C# (VS 2005). The call needs to be parameterized - I need to be able to pass in the name of the database to which I am going to be copying these tables.
I could use DTS with parameters, but I can't find any sample code that does this from C#.
Alternatively, I could just use
drop table TableName
select * into TableName from SourceDB..TableName
and then reconstruct the indexes etc - but that is really kludgy.
Any other ideas?
Thanks!
For SQL Server 7.0 and 2000, we have SQLDMO for this. For SQL Server 2005 there is SMO. This allows you do to pretty much everything related to administering the database, scripting objects, enumerating databases, and much more. This is better, IMO, than trying a "roll your own" approach.
SQL 2000:
Developing SQL-DMO Applications
Transfer Object
SQL 2005:
Here is the SMO main page:
Microsoft SQL Server Management Objects (SMO)
Here is the Transfer functionality:
Transferring Data
How to: Transfer Schema and Data from One Database to Another in Visual Basic .NET
If the destination table is being dropped every time then why not do SELECT INTO? Doesn't seem like a kludge at all.
If it works just fine and ticks all the requirements boxes why create a days worth of work growing code to do exactly the same thing?
Let SQL do all the heavy lifting for you.
You could put the scripts (copy db) found here
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/database/CreateDatabaseScript.aspx
Into an application. Just replace the destination. To actually move the entite database, FOLLOW
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314546
But remember, the database has to be taken offline first.
Thanks
Related
I was wondering which one is the best way to replicate some data of a database to another.
I have a database in one computer and this one receives some transactions. I need to send this data to another server (in the same local network) but with a modified value (I need to add 11 years to a Timestamp value).
So I was looking for some options for my case, I can develop a windows service to do this but I don't know if the sql server replication can do this for me or if there is another option like some kind of magical trigger that can do that.
I'm using SQL Server 2005 on Windows Server 2003 R2.
This link should help you:
Selecting the Appropriate Type of Replication
Quoted summary from link:
Microsoft SQL Server offers three types of replication. Each type of
replication is suited to different application requirements. Depending
on the needs of your application, you can use one or more types of
replication in a topology:
Snapshot replication
Transactional replication
Merge replication
I personally would replicate the database (transactional) and then use log shipping to update the replicated database (on your second server) with the latest data changes (from the primary server) then use a stored procedure running as a sql agent job to update the fields you need.
I personally am not a fan of triggers as you can end up having triggers activating other triggers and something that takes milliseconds to run can take seconds and if you have large volumes of data that can be painful (I manage a system that has exactly this issue - soon to be replaced thankfully)
hope this helps and if you have some follow up questions I'll be happy to help.
I have a question, clearly since I'm here...
I have a source database (SQL Server 2008) and a destination database (also SQL Server 2008). There are modifications which need to be done which means that a lot of the data has to pass through C# (converting coordinates, triangulation etc). But how would you do it?
I'm looking for a few things here. Right now I'm using a SqlDataReader and pulling the data into a DataTable and using the data like that in order to manipulate it before I push it into the destination database, but what would be a better (faster & more memory efficient) way of doing it?
Also, for data which does not need to be manipulated I'm still pulling it through in the same way, I assume there is a way of avoiding that which would be quicker?
Technical info:
DB: 2 x SQL Server 2008 (source/dest) - On the same server
Language: C# / .NET 3.5
OS: Windows
I would insert the source data into a temp table(s) on to the destination database.
Then I would use SQL Merge to update the destination.
MERGE (Transact-SQL)
I would completely minimize the role that c# plays.
You could embed the .NET code onto the sql server using the SQL CLR in order to remove the round-trip time between the database and the machine.
You should use Integration Services for ETL tasks.
As stated in the title, how can I programmatically create a SQL Server CE 4.0 from a remote SQL Server?
I want my application to allow users to delete the .sdf and create a new one based on the new remote database schema when there is a database schema update. And then download relevant data for offline use.
I already read up about the SqlCeEngine part, but I am not good at SQL Server CE queries - seem to give many syntax errors when trying out in Management Studio.
I also tried Microsoft Sync Framework Snapshot synchronization but it feels too bulky and the Local Cache Database modifies my database schema and generates a lot of junk I do not need. Maybe a lower level solution like querying information.schema or something may work better?
Checkout DMO. Using managed code, you can enumerate objects like tables, columns on the sql server side.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa174487(v=sql.80).aspx
Here's a tutorial to get you started:
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/database/SMO_Tutorial_1.aspx
Concerning the data, one option is the bcp utility
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa337544.aspx
Those are good starting points if you want to extract and create a new database. For mirroring/sync, probably not a good path. If it's read only data on the client and you jst want to update the local data, then you can just extract again and throw away the old 'data cache'
You can use my scripting API and command line tools to do this: http://exportsqlce.codeplex.com - see for example this blog post: http://erikej.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-to-use-exportsqlce-to-migrate-from.html
This may be a more up to date way using SQL only:
SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
I need a lightweight database engine for a desktop application. The application is not data centric, although it needs some persistent data. Which one would you use MS SQL Server express edition or SQLite?
EDIT
Is SQL Server Compact edition free? If it is the case, what about SQLite vs SQL Server Compact edition to develop this kind of application?
Definitely NOT Sql Server Express. That's a server class engine. You want an in-process engine. In that regard, SQLite is fine. So is Sql Server Compact Edition. Both are free and either should be adequate for your needs.
If you're working with C# and Visual Studio simply right-click on your project and select "Add Item..." and in the dialog select the "Local database", this will create a SQL CE (Compact Edition) database. It's got most of the functionality of SQL Express/Server as far as tables, data types, views but doesn't allow stored procs. It also works with Linq-to-SQL so it's a snap to integrate.
Go with SQL Server Compact - you get to use LINQ that way, which itself is worth the effort.
While SQLite is an option, you'll need to get an ORM layer, and the performance gain will be minimal / non-existent compared to SQL Server.
Firebird is a well known database and support the latest Microsoft framework
SQLite, especially if it's single-user. One data file and one DLL.
If its a single user system you want to look at MS SQL Server compact edition not Express (see here: http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/compact.aspx )
Compact Edition is an embedable database similar to SQLite.
Unfortunately I can't make a recommendation either way.
What about MS SQL Server Compact?
Some love for one of the up and comers in the .NET embedded db world -- VistaDb. The license is a bit more restrictive than Sql Server Compact (free to single developers only), but its a 100% managed DB with xcopy deployment and has VS tool integration.
Be aware that if you use SQL CE along with EF, you will have to generate your own id key, because SQL CE does not support multiple query.
i.e:
insert -> select key for the entity -> not good
generate and id key (GUID or something else) add it to your entity and then insert -> good
Defo SQL lite, although it has some restrictions/features that you should be aware of
if your need is data centric, what you really need is a file, if you need transaction (ACID) then your need is (rdbms) database.
Otherwise you'll have issues when up scaling.
If it's not a lot of data, and you don't need to run complicated queries (although LINQ can), why not use an XML Dataset? That way it's platform independent (could run on Linux with Mono) and doesn't require the user to install extra resource hogging software.
I use XML Datasets extensively for applications that require persistent data storage of small amounts of information. If it's only a few variables, you can also use a settings file, and it will be stored either per application or per user depending on your choices.
Think about overhead for your end users ... SQL Server Express still takes up resources, takes time to start up on a reboot and so on. For a small amount of single-user persistent data I would go with SQLite. Unless you're doing serious binding and so on you won't need an ORM between you and it.
Complete newbie question here: I'm just playing with C# for the first time and want to make a Windows Forms application which stores some info in a database structure, but obviously don't want to require something like MySQL to be installed on each client's computer. How do I go about this?
You can use SQLite. It doesn't require any installation or server on the client's computers. Here is an blog describing how to use it with .NET. It is easy to use, just add a reference to the System.Data.SQLite.dll.
Here is an open source data provider for .NET: System.Data.SQLite
From homepage: "SQLite is a software library that implements a self-contained, serverless, zero-configuration, transactional SQL database engine. SQLite is the most widely deployed SQL database engine in the world. The source code for SQLite is in the public domain."
You use a database that doesn't require an install. There are a few out there - there's Microsoft SQL Server Compact, which frankly is badly named, as it won't support the more useful SQL functions like stored procedures, views and so on. There's also VistaDB which does support stored procs, but requires purchase if you want Visual Studio plugins.
The answer is Embedded Databases. You've got quite a large list of Embedded databases that you can use:
Commercial:
VistaDB - This database is written completely in managed C#.
Open Source:
Firebird - .NET Driver
SQLite - .NET Driver
You could write your data to XML files, or you could take a look at the Sql Server Compact Edition.
You could also work with objects and serialize/deserialize these to disk as binaries.
Of course the type of storage you choose depends a lot on the kind of data you're storing (and the volume of it).
Use SQL Server CE
An easy way to do it from .NET 3.5 onwards is to store your data in XML files and use Linq to XML. This allows you to use SQL-like commands on your data which are actually compiled into your application, so you get full IDE IntelliSense support and error checking.
Perhaps you could serialise a dataset and save it as XML. I'm a little confused why if you're playing around you would need to install MySQL on all client's computers. You could look at using SQL Express which is free perhaps?
Serialise Dataset:
http://blogs.msdn.com/yosit/archive/2003/07/10/9921.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163911.aspx
The Easiest way will be SQL Server Compact, Because it integrates directly into the Visual Studio IDE (I'm just hazarding the guess here that you use VS). Add the "Local Database", Create your tables and be sure to make your Table Adapter with Select, Update, Insert and Delete methods. If during Database Creation you called your Dataset "DS" you will be able to instantiate a Table Adapter Object from
DSTableAdapters
Namespace, and Use GetData() or Fill() methods to retrieve your Data, and Insert(), Update() and Delete() to Manage it.
VelocityDB works in a server less mode but can also be combined with a server when there is a need for it. It outperforms all the other choices mentioned here by roughly a magnitude, see comparison here. It allows you to use almost any .NET data structures persistently. The entire database engine and the optional server is implemented using C# code.