BillD said:
With an SQL Server Express 2005 backend, I cannot see the data except by
opening a linked table in the Access front end. Is there an SQL Server
file(Table) somewhere that I am not seeing? Where is the actual data held?
I
also use Management Studio Express. I can see the fields but not the data.
some questions can be asked here (such as ms-access ones).
To see the data in Studio Expression, simply right browse down to the table
using the nav pane (tree) on the left side..
When you get down to the table you want to view,, simply right click on the
table and choose open....
Where is the actual data held?
Well, it is in a file somewhere, but we really hardly ever care because sql
server handles that issue. We only connect to the "sql server", and it
figures out the file junk. The physical location of the file is not really
that important because your software (access) NEVER opens the data files
directly but simply "talks" to sql server which does the actual file open
and reading. This is why sql server is secure because the applications NEVER
see nor deal with the files directly. You can remove user permissions to
the files, but give sql server permissions. that way, users CAN NOT copy the
data files, but ONLY "see" data that sql server allows them to. Sql opens
those files, not ms-access, or the web server or whatever.
For questions in sql server, try the sql newsgroups. For example, in the
above you ask:
"where is the data file"
My answer is you really don't need to know. And, to make a "copy" of a sql
database, you MUST use the Studio tools, as sql server needs to un-link from
the data file before a backup/copy of the data file is made. (this ensures
that users or sql server is not updating the data files. And, of course the
files need to be "closed" before they can be copied. If sql server is
running, then those files may be opened and in-use by sql server. (this why
there is the concept of attach, and detach a database in sql server. You
often see people "de-tach" a database in sql server so it is now "off line",
and it can then be copied, or whatever..
However, you *can* find the location of a sql server data file (keep in
mind, a data base is NOT only one file, but can be comprised of several
files such as a log (transaction) file(s) ). So, if you miss one "piece"
during a file copy, you not copy all of the data. For this reason you
**really** need to use the Studio tools to create a backup of the database
which results in a single file of which then it is safe to copy and move to
other systems running sql server.
However, you can find the data files usually in a location like:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data
However, as mentioned, you web server, VB.net, or ms-access never connects
to the files, but connects to sql server which in manages those files. This
is also why those files can't be damaged or corrupted when your network
connection breaks because you NEVER touching the files directly. when you
link to a "mdb" back end, a break in the network can damage the access file
because you have the file directly opened..
Anyway...for sql server questions like above for things like file location
etc...use the sql newsgroups, they are far more able to answer these types
of questions then us access folk...
