Microsoft® SQL Server™ 7.0 and the Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) 1.0 are powerful and flexible relational database management systems (RDBMS) that offer developers a comprehensive database platform for building value-added business solutions developed for Microsoft Windows®.
Historically, a system or database administrator was required to install, manage and configure a database server for end users. Because organizations have placed an increasing focus on reducing the total cost of ownership associated with purchasing and deploying business solutions, eliminating this requirement for a typical database application was a key design goal of SQL Server 7.0.
This topic is of interest whether your application targets internal users in your organization, or is to be sold and/or distributed to other organizations. In either case, minimizing the installation and management overhead of a custom database application is critical.
This document is included with the SQL Server and MSDE Deployment Toolkit, and is designed to serve as a comprehensive guide for developers who wish to deploy value-added business solutions that leverage Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 or Microsoft MSDE 1.0 database services. It addresses design guidelines and technical strategies for automating the installation, configuration and management of custom database applications.