Kudos to Microsoft for releasing SQL Server CE 4 CTP1, which is a free, lightweight, xcopy deployable, embedded database that is a part of the SQL Server family.
Right now you can find SQL Server Compact 4 as part of the WebMatrix Beta and later on it will be integrated in a updated release of Visual Studio 2010. You can download the CTP from Microsoft Downloads here or you can download it along with WebMatrix via the Web Platform Installer 3 Beta here.
For the full scoop on SQL Server Compact 4, you can check out Rob Tiffany's blog.
SQLite
I recommend you also look at SQLite, which I have been using for years and absolutely love. The SQLite Description pretty much says it all:
“SQLite is a software library that implements a self-contained, serverless, zero-configuration, transactional SQL database engine. SQLite is the most widely deployed SQL database engine in the world. The source code for SQLite is in the public domain.”
I also love the tagline: “Small. Fast. Reliable. Choose any three.”
If you are interested in SQL Server Compact Edition 4 and have never looked at SQLite, you owe it to yourself to look at SQLite!
Some SQLite resources worth looking into include:
And you'd be crazy not to download and use the Firefox SQLite Manager. Yep, that's right, administer SQLite databases from the comfort of your browser :)
David Hayden
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