Steve Lasker has published an
interesting set of FAQs
about the just announced SQL Server Everywhere Edition, that is
summary is the SQL Server Mobile Edition product with its limitation to the
mobile platform removed.
Here a brief summary of what I think that are the core topics about SQL
Server Everywhere (from now SQL/e):
- SQL/e is targeted specifically for general desktop usage. It runs
in-proc, doesn' t offer data as a service, has a lightweight model
for applications that need to share the resources of the users machine with
other applications besides the database engine. The Server Versions (like SQL
Express) runs as a service instead.
- The SQL/e runtime (7 DLLs are about 1.4MB in size.
- SQL/e has the same database size limitation as SQL
Express, 4GB.
- You cannot use SQL/e as a web server database. SQL/e is
targeted at the desktop database. The plan is for SQL/e to throw a
not-supported exception when the hosting process is IIS.
- SQL/e will use the same set of classes that SQLCE and SQL Mobile have
used (System.Data.SqlServerCe.*)
- SQL/e will support synchronization with a Server. Developers can
use Merge Replication or Remote Data Access (RDA), a lightweight sync
technology available to the SQL Mobile platform that will equally apply to the
SQL/e product. In addition to these sync
technologies, Microsoft is working on a new set of sync components
based on the ADO.net programming model (maybe shipped with Orcas).
- SQL/e doesn' t allow any code to be placed in the
database. It's a pure data format and it doesn't have any code (no
sprocs, views, triggers, extended sprocs, macros or ability to run
XP_CmdShell).
- SQL/e files can be emailed and their extensions can be changed to launch
your application. The SqlCeConnection object can handle any extension you
wish.
- SQL/e supports multiple connections. You can now have several
connections in your UI layer and another connection for background
synchronization (the connection limit is 256 connections).
- SQL/e doesn't have the XML data type. SQL/e will place XML in an nText
datatype when data is synchronized between SQL Server and SQL/e (so, you
still have the XML storage, but SQL/e will not have X Path query support in
its engine).
- SQL/e doesn't support CLR user defined data types.
- SQL/e data file can be shared between device and desktops, simply copy
their .sdf file from the device to the desktop and back without any
conversions.
- SQL/e has a single user security model.
- SQL/e has integrated encryptions features and when creating a SQL/e
data file you have the option to encrypt the database.