Include Sql Server Express In Setup Project

I create project in Visual Studio. My app use .mdf files. I created a setup project using InstallShield. On my computer where I developed my app, setup works just fine! But when I

Solution 1:

You need to install SQL Server on your computer, Visual Studio can not embed this. Go to https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver2014express.aspx, download and install. I'm not sure if you can get it without a Microsoft account.

Solution 2:

By using .mdf you got a dependency on SQL Server Express (at least). You might want to pack your database to a server and have your app just use client libraries or you could switch to SQLite or something with less footprint.

Also take a look here how to bundle your setup with SQL Server Express: Can I deploy SQL Server Express with my desktop application just like builtin database?

Solution 3:

Visual Studio publishing tool can do that. If you're required to use InstallShield, there's a guy who ensembled a video guide: http://www.installationdeveloper.com/3356/how-to-install-sql-server-2008-express-r2-in-installshield/