Summary

This article will explain the differences between Microsoft SQL Server Express Editions vs. the other

editions of SQL Server (such Standard, Developer, Enterprise, etc.), as they relate to the Solatech

Window Covering Software.


More Information

What is SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server (in this document referred to as just 'SQL Server') is the database software

that the Solatech Window Covering Software (SWCS) uses to store and manage its data. All of the

customers, quotes, orders, etc. are stored in a company file, which is a SQL Server database. The

main components of SQL Server are:

  • The SQL Server software. This is typically installed on your server computer, the one that contains the actual data files. Once installed, this server software runs automatically accepting requests from software running on the workstations, such as SWCS.
  • The SQL Server drivers. These are installed on the server and the workstations and they are what allows the workstations to communicate with the server.
  • The database files. These files reside on the server and are only accessed by the SQL Server software. With the Solatech Window Covering Software there are two files, an .mdf and an .ldf that make up the database. At no time should you need to access these files directly.


What edition is supplied with the Solatech Window Covering Software

During installation of the Solatech Window Covering Software, the Installation Assistant will look for

a special installation (an instance) of SQL Server. If this instance is not found then the free edition,

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition will be installed.


What the differences between the free edition and the full edition

There are a number of different editions of Microsoft SQL Server, but with respect to the Solatech

Window Covering Software the differences between the express (free) edition and all other editions

are:

  • The express edition only uses 1 GB of RAM, no matter how much RAM is installed on the machine.
  • With the express edition only one CPU will be used, no matter how many are available on the machine.
  • With the express edition the maximum database size is 4 GB, no matter how much disk space is available on the machine.


When should I consider upgrading my SQL Server software

Ultimately the decision of when to upgrade from the express edition of SQL Server to an edition with

more capabilities will be up to each company and they will have to take into account software usage,

hardware and software requirements and cost. Solatech suggests using the following guidelines to

help determine if or when you should upgrade your server software.


Are you entering a lot of orders?

Of course 'a lot of orders' is subjective, however the more

orders you enter the more the database size grows. As the database size grows performance will

reduce due to the 1 GB memory limitation of the express edition. SQL Server benefits greatly with

large amounts of RAM. In addition to the limitation on RAM, as the database size grows you will

eventually reach the database size limit of 4 GB. At that time you will have to create a new company

database if you continue with the express edition of SQL Server. While it's not possible to definitively

calculate how many orders it will take to reach these limitations, past usage suggests a company

database with 50,000 to 75,000 orders will be to the point where software and hardware upgrades

need to be researched.


To determine the size of your current database:

  1. Run SWCS.
  2. From the File menu, click File Manager.
  3. Select the file type Companies.
  4. Look through the list of files that have the name that matches your company name, There are probably three (.psd, .mdf, .ldf).
  5. The size of the database is indicated by the size of the .mdf file.


Do you have many users accessing the system at once?

In order to keep up with multiple users accessing the database at the same time, SQL Server uses as

much RAM and processing power as possible - the more available to SQL Server the better it?s performance will be.

However, the express edition of SQL Server, by design, will not always take advantage of the RAM and processing

power of the machine. This limitation will affect performance as SQL Server will often have to wait to

handle the incoming connections and requests. Like database size, it?s not easy to calculate when

the user limit has been reached, however Solatech suggests an organization with more than five

constant SWCS users would benefit from editions other than the express edition of SQL Server.


One way to gauge this is to run SWCS on only one computer and limited network activity. Perform

tasks such as entering orders, searching for orders, printing, etc. Then compare the times it takes to

perform these tasks against the time it takes when all of your users are doing the same tasks in

SWCS.


For more information on the editions of Microsoft SQL Server please contact Microsoft or Solatech.

Pricing and licensing are available from Microsoft's web site. Solatech does not sell Microsoft SQL

Server.


APPLIES TO

  • Solatech Window Covering Software 4.2