How to deploy SQL Server Compact Edition 4.0?

Question

How do i deploy Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0?

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SQL Server Compact Edition (currently at version 4.0) is:

a free, embedded database th

Answer 1

For Sql Server Ce 4.0 SP1:

Instead of tackling all the gritty stuff of deployment, I just opted to include the setup files themselves into my exe as EmbeddedResource and did this little helper:

 public static class RedistHelper
    {
        private static readonly ILog Log = LogManager.GetLogger(
                                              MethodBase.GetCurrentMethod().DeclaringType);

        private static readonly string SqlCeRedistName64 = "SSCERuntime_x64-ENU.exe";
        private static readonly string SqlCeRedistName32 = "SSCERuntime_x86-ENU.exe";
        private static readonly Dictionary Assemblies = 
                        new Dictionary(StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase);

        private static string SqlCeRedistName
        {
            get 
            {
                return Environment.Is64BitOperatingSystem 
                                       ? SqlCeRedistName64 
                                       : SqlCeRedistName32;
            }
        }

        public static bool IsSqlCeInstalled()
        {
            RegistryKey localKey = RegistryKey.OpenBaseKey(RegistryHive.LocalMachine,
                                                           RegistryView.Registry64);
            RegistryKey ret = localKey.OpenSubKey(
                    @"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition\v4.0\ENU");
            return ret != null;
        }

        private static byte[] ReadFully(Stream input)
        {
            byte[] buffer = new byte[16 * 1024];
            using (MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream())
            {
                int read;
                while ((read = input.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.Length)) > 0)
                    ms.Write(buffer, 0, read);
                return ms.ToArray();
            }
        }

        public static Assembly OnCurrentDomainOnAssemblyResolve(object sender,
                                                                ResolveEventArgs args)
        {
            Assembly dll;
            var name = new AssemblyName(args.Name).Name + ".dll";
            if (!Assemblies.TryGetValue(name, out dll))
            {
                Assembly res = typeof(RedistHelper).Assembly;
                using (Stream input =
                           res.GetManifestResourceStream(typeof(RedistHelper), name))
                {
                    if (input == null)
                    {
                        Log.WarnFormat("Assembly {0} does not contain {1}", res, name);
                        return null;
                    }
                    dll = Assembly.Load(ReadFully(input));
                    if (dll == null)
                    {
                        Log.WarnFormat("Assembly {0} failed to load.", name);
                        return null;
                    }
                    Log.InfoFormat("Loaded assembly {0}.", name);
                    Assemblies[name] = dll;
                    return dll;
                }
            }
            return dll;
        }

        public static void InstallSqlCe()
        {
            using (Stream stream =
                       typeof(RedistHelper).Assembly.GetManifestResourceStream(
                           typeof(RedistHelper), SqlCeRedistName))
            {
                Debug.Assert(stream != null);
                byte[] bytes = new byte[(int)stream.Length];
                stream.Read(bytes, 0, bytes.Length);
                string path = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), SqlCeRedistName);

                if (File.Exists(path))
                    File.Delete(path);

                File.WriteAllBytes(path, bytes);

                Process process = new Process
                                  {
                                      StartInfo = new ProcessStartInfo
                                                  {
                                                      FileName = path,
                                                      UseShellExecute = true
                                                  }
                                  };
                process.Start();
                process.WaitForExit();
            }
        }
    }

The only thing that really gave me a headache was referencing the System.Data.SqlServerCe.dll - it simply wouldnt IlMerge, so instead I loaded it on demand, in my main:

AppDomain.CurrentDomain.AssemblyResolve += RedistHelper.OnCurrentDomainOnAssemblyResolve;