Database Setup Tool

I was wondering if Microsoft SQL server has any tools that will will generate a setup.exe file to install the database on a seperate SQL server. I can see that you can script the entire database however it does not detect the dependencies in the correct order and hence I have to manually go through the script file and modify the creation order manually.

If we can generate a setup file

1) Network Admins who are installing the application and who have no idea of user SQL server can easily set up the database

2) I dont need to show the code for the sp, views etc as we can encrypt the code (I know it can be decrypted but that is ok)

I found tools from other vendors which we have to purchase to achive this.... Does MS Sql server have such a utility or is there any free utility that does this?

i guess u need to transfer database from one server to another. if this is the requirement , there are two methods

(a) Backup /restore

(b) detach/attach

You can automate it. If you have tried this pse let us know what is the difficulties u faced. Scripting database is not a complete solution.

pse refer BOL or post back if you are not clear with these terms

Madhu

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thanks Madhu.

But i only want to transfer the database structure ... not the data within it. If I do a backup / restore or detach / attach, it will take the data + transaction logs along with it. I can script the data + transaction logs to be cleared before doing the backup. But I dont want the data to be cleared in my environment as it has a lot of test data that has taken months to do. Alternatively i have to take another backup before clearing the data.

All this is going to be untidy. So that is why I was looking for a setup utility as I have seen other applications do this.

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if you asked the tool available ... then the answer may be Visio. Visio can easily handle these kind of scenario. As such there should not be any problem in Scripting from SQL Server also. Could you please tell us what is the problem u faced when u script the object using Management stuido and runing it in target server.

Redgate and all have tools for these kind of activities. But i strongly feel that SQL Server inbuilt features can easily handle this issue.

Also post back the result of Select @.@.version .

Madhu