Migrating Access 2003 data to SQL Server

[JRB]

I am planning to move the data portion of a client's Access 2003 database
over to SQL Server 2005. I realize that the client is going to need to
purchase the software (probably going with the workgroup edition). My
question is this... I'd like to get the data and the front-end (also in
Access 2003) prepared off-site (on my computer at my office), but I'm
obviously not going to go out and get the workgroup edition of SQL Server
2005 myself. Can I use the Express edition to accomplish this? Or does
Visual Studio come with a "developer" version of SQL Server? How do I best
accomplish this without having to go to their office to do it? As you can
probably tell, I've had hardly any experience whatsoever with SQL Server.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated - Thank You!

 

[Tim Ferguson]

Can I use the Express edition to accomplish this? Or does
Visual Studio come with a "developer" version of SQL Server?

Yes: that's what it's for (amongst other things). There has been a copy
of MSDE on every MS Office product since v97 which is the same thing.
It's a full version of SQL server throttled to prevent more than light
use -- details vary between version but it's along the lines of four-or-
so concurrent connections. That's fine for developing and even for a
SOHO.

How do I
best accomplish this without having to go to their office to do it?
As you can probably tell, I've had hardly any experience whatsoever
with SQL Server.

Just like that. Developing against MSDE or SQLSExpress will migrate quite
happily to a full-sized server.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-
us/dnmsde/html/msderoadmap.asp

.... or find a more uptodate version!

Best wishes


Tim F