While I recommend that you stick with the JET platform for now, and indeed the bulk of this book in general
covers the JET platform only, you may have a need to install the MSDE platform on your machine. Microsoft
will probably make the steps required to do so a little more streamlined in the future, but as of this writing
these are the steps to follow.
First off, the MSDE platform is not available in the normal Office 2000 installation program. To install the
MSDE platform, locate the CD containing the Office Server Edition (OSE) and Resource Kit. Under the OSE
directory on CD 1 is a directory named SQL. This directory contains an x86 directory, which in turn contains
a Setup directory. Browse to this directory with Windows Explorer and execute
setupsql.exe
.
The first two dialogs are standard setup application dialogs. On the third dialog you specify where you wish
the program files and data files to be installed. Usually the defaults are fine. On the fourth dialog, there are a
slew of settings that control how data is stored in the database, how it’s sorted and searched, and how data is
handled in Unicode environments (Unicode is a character set that has enough characters for most of the
languages in use today). To make the database work like a JET database, leave the default choices.
Caution: If you make the incorrect choices on this dialog, and later need to correct them, you’ll have to rebuild
all of your databases and reload the data into them. Not a pretty task, so if you’re unsure about any of these
choices, refer to the Help file (there’s a Help button on the dialog) or a SQL Server administration text.
In the next dialog you specify which network protocols the MSDE will use to handle network traffic. Because
the MSDE is not a file-server database, but a client/server database, it cannot use the network file system to
communicate with other machines. Instead, it has its own data transport mechanism. The MSDE can
communicate using multiple protocols, but only choose those protocols in use on your network. If you have
any concerns, consult the Help file (there’s a Help button on the dialog) or your network administrator.
The last dialog simply informs you that the setup application is ready to begin copying the necessary files to
your machine. Click Next and it will do so. After the files are copied, the setup application will start and stop
the database engine a few times and finally display a dialog informing you that the installation was a success.
The MSDE does not ship with any SQL Server management tools other than the SQL Server Service
Manager. This application runs either in a window or as a system tray application (the area where you see the
clock and other small icons). The Service Manager allows you to stop and start the MSDE. A shortcut to it is
placed in your Startup folder so it will run each time you restart your computer.
In Hour 4, “Understanding Someone Else’s Database," you’ll learn how to open or create a database on your
new MSDE server. You must make sure that the server is running before you attempt to open or create a
database there (the Service Manager makes this simple).
Note: The server is installed with a single user,
sa
, having a blank password.
Starting Access 2000 and Opening a Database
There are several ways to start Access 2000. The easiest way is with the Windows Start button. If you have
Microsoft Office, you can also start an Access database from the Office toolbar.
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