Determine Existance of SQLExpress Instance

[Olaf Doschke]

In my company we're working on a foxpro application using a central MS SQL database and some of the installations (but not all) have a local SQLExpress instance. Mostly notebooks, but also "hybrid" stations, eg notebooks with a docking station, used as notebook and workstation.

As I don't know if an SQLExpress instance exists, on startup I simply try to make a connection via sqlstringconnect, but on stations without an SQLExpress instance this takes about 3 seconds and makes the total startup time annoyingly slow, about 6-7 seconds in total. I already lowered the ConnectTimeout to 2 seconds, on a normal station with an SQLExpress installation a connect takes a little more than a second, which also seems rather slow to me, considering it's local.

So my question is, can I quickly find out, if SQLExpress is installed without making a test connection? Would it be reliable looking up a Software key in the registry?

Bye, Olaf.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

This might do the trick, I gotta try if it's faster at the customers computers next week:

o = CreateObject("SQLDMO.SQLServer")
llSQLExpress = .F.
For Each lcInstance in o.ListInstalledInstances
   If "\SQLEXPRESS" $ lcInstance
      llSQLExpress = .T.
      Exit
   EndIf
EndFor

? llSQLExpress

Bye, Olaf.

 

[markros]

Olaf,

Check Re: Enumerating SQL Servers in VFP Thread #1384624 in another VFP related forum.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Thanks, I followed the discussion, and now have a couple of things I could try. In my situation I can guarantee SQL Client is installed, as the app surely accesses an SQL Server variant, either SQLExpress locally, SQL Server on the LAN or both.

I will see which gives me the fastest responses to cut down the start time.

Bye, Olaf.