Using SQL Server 2005 Express (Advanced SP2) I have created a Full-Text Search application in VB for distribution on CD for single PCs. Works fine on my local machine during development.
Although the SQL Server 2005 Express edition can be distributed freely, it does not seem to support Full-Text searches in the distributed version. Is this true? Or am I missing something with my deployment?
If I need another version of Sql Server for distribution of a Full-Text Search app, how do I go about obtaining the proper DB and permission for distribution? The DB size is about 600 MB.
Oh yes, it does support those. YOu will have to install the fulltext search service with the setup and it should work then. If you are installing it using unattended setup file, make sure that you include the feature of fulltext search. There is a sample within the template file which shows how to do it.
Jens K. Suessmeyer
http://www.sqlserver2005.de
|||Hi Jens,
Great to hear that it does support full text search when distributed.
I have installed Sql Server Express 2005 (Adv. SP2) on three machines with full text search enabled during setup. So I think I am getting that part OK.I am not sure I know what you mean by, “There is a sample within the template file which shows how to do it.”
I am able to do full text searches in Management Studio but have never been able to do full-text searches in Visual Basic Express due to the limitation associated with user instance (“Cannot use full-text search in user instance.”)
I have been trying out Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 and am able to do full-text search in Visual Basic when connecting directly to the DB attached to the server instance.But still get the same error when adding the Pubs DB to the Solution within VB that relies on the User Instance.
Here is a simple app that demonstrates the problem.The full-text search works with the connection to the server instance but not through the User Instance within VB.
Code Snippet
Imports System.Data
Imports System.Data.SqlClient
Public Class Form1
Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
Dim strSearch
strSearch = TextBox1.Text
'Added to Solution as existing item and User Instance – does not work
'Dim conn As New SqlConnection("Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|\PUBS.MDF;Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True")
'Connected through Sql Server Express and this works!
Dim conn As New SqlConnection("Data Source=OFFICE\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=Pubs;Integrated Security=True")
Dim ds As New DataSet
conn.Open()
Dim adp As New SqlDataAdapter("Select * From Titles WHERE CONTAINS(Notes, ' """ & strSearch & """ ')", conn)
adp.Fill(ds)
DataGridView1.DataSource = ds.Tables(0)
conn.Close()
End Sub
End Class
I guess if I could distribute the program so that it does not rely on the User Instance during runtime, it would work.Just don’t know how to do that.
So I think I am close to getting the distribution issue resolved, but just don't know what to try next. Thanks for any help you can provide in working this out.
|||OK, you did not mention that you are using user instances, this feature is NOT supported on a user instance as the error message tells you.
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143684.aspx
|||Thanks for the info - a bit discouraging but not entirely unexpected. I have been wrestling with this issue for awhile and had basically given up on doing full text search outside Management Studio. Then with the VS 2008 beta I have the option of connecting directly to the server and doing the FTS in Visual Basic.
So I am back to my original question of how to distribute a FTS program using SQL Server. Do I need another version of SQL Server that supports FTS in User Instances? Or some variation on this theme?
Or, is there a way to use SQL Server 2005 Express (Adv SP2) with VB in a way other than with User Instances?
The DB is a static, historical, read only archive so security is not an issue for this application.
I am assuming there must be a way to create a FTS program with SQL Server for distribution on a CD or DVD. If SQL Server Express will not do it, what other options do I have? Or is the problem more a matter of the limitation of User Instances within Visual Basic itself?
Thanks again for the info and any further guidance you can provide.
|||Hi,
"So I am back to my original question of how to distribute a FTS program using SQL Server. Do I need another version of SQL Server that supports FTS in User Instances? Or some variation on this theme?"
No, the only version which supports user instances is Express. YOu probably will need a variation of the planned envrionment.
"
Or, is there a way to use SQL Server 2005 Express (Adv SP2) with VB in a way other than with User Instances?
The DB is a static, historical, read only archive so security is not an issue for this application.
"
You will need server instances. Install SQL Server Express on the computer and attach the database to the server instance, instead of just attaching it via a user instance. This can be either done using the sp_attachdb command or the Management GUI.|||
I believe that I have attached the DB to the server instance of SQL Server Express using the Management GUI. Otherwise I would not be able to do FTS in Managment Studio. I also think that is why I am able to do FTS on the DB within Visual Studio as attached to the server rather than through a User Instance which does not support FTS.
I am not clear on what happens when I deploy the application including SQL Server 2005 Express. When I have done it before I was able to do regular DB activities, but got he error message about not supporting FTS only when I tried to do the FTS. So I am able to deploy the DB and use it, but it must be in a User Instance which apparently will never support FTS.
Can SQL Server Express be deployed in a way that the distributed version does not have to rely on a User Instance? If not, I don't see how the Express version will ever be usable for FTS in a distributed application.
Thanks for your support in helping me sort this out.
|||I have been trying to deploy the application with the DB attached to a Server Instance rather than User Instance. No luck yet. I have no problem running the FTS on a Server Instance in VB during development. So it seems to be a matter of getting it deployed properly.
Just so that I am clear as to what I am trying to do, am I correct in assuming that I can deploy Sql Server 2005 Express (Advanced SP2) with my Visual Basic app and it will support Full Text Search so long as the DB is attached to a server instance rather than user instance? Thus I just need to learn how to access the DB with a server instance in the distributed program. Do I understand you correctly on this?
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