What are the limitations to SQL Server Compact? (Or - how does one choose a database to use on MS platforms?)

Question

The application I want to build using MS Visual C# Express (I\'m willing to upgrade to Standard if that becomes required) that needs a database.

I was all psyched ab

Answer 1

A few, hopefully helpful comments:

1st - do not use SQLite unless you like having to have the entire database locked during writes (http://www.sqlite.org/faq.html#q6) and perhaps more importantly in a .Net application it is NOT thread safe or more to the point it must be recompiled to support threads (http://www.sqlite.org/faq.html#q6)

As an alternate for my current project I looked at Scimore DB (they have an embedded version with ADO.Net provider: http://www.scimore.com/products/embedded.aspx) but I needed to use LINQ To SQL as an O/RM so I had to use Sql Server CE.

The auto increment (if you are referring to automatic key incrementing) is what it always has been - example table:

-- Table Users

CREATE TABLE Tests (
    Id       **int IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,**
    TestName     nvarchar(100) NOT NULL,
    TimeStamp    datetime NOT NULL
)
GO

As far as the text size I think that was answered.

Here is a link to information on encryption from microsoft technet: (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms171955.aspx)

Hope this helps a bit....