What version of SQL Server do I need to move the database to a production server?

Question

I just finished developing ASP.NET on my local Windows XP machine. I used Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server to develop the site.

My problem is that now I would like to move the SQL Server database from my XP machine to my production server.

I read that SQL Server express cannot export my database. It's right? What would be the best way to export a SQL Server Express database so that I can deploy it to my production server.

IE Do I need to download and install the full version of SQL Server? If so, which version would be better.

This is very depressing since I have already added the information to the database and I am not trying to release all this information if possible.

Any help would be greatly appreciated ...

Answer 1

SQL Server Express will be great for this - it uses the same native file format as more expensive editions. All you have to do is disconnect the db file, copy it to production, attach the production server to the copied file, and you are good ... well, basically, good. This will not cover some things, such as logins or maintenance tasks, but all the data, stored procedures and indexes will be there.

What SQL Server Express will not do is export your database to a format such as csv. And even this is not entirely true. It’s just an express management studio that lacks features: IIRC, if you connect the full version of sql server management studio to the db express server, you can use the export functions.

Going further, if you really need to export data from the express management studio, you can still just set the query window to save the query results for the file and write a set of export queries.