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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.