MSDE

MSDE stands for MS Data Engine, Microsoft Desktop Engine or Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine. It is a toned down version of Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 or 2000 which is free for non-commercial use as well as certain limited commercial use. MSDE and SQL Server are Microsoft's database platforms.

MSDE has some restrictions: a limit of 2 GB databases, and it comes with no GUI tools to administer it. It also has a workload governor which reduces its speed once you exceed eight concurrent workloads on the engine.

MSDE can be distributed with commercial products by registering with Microsoft — in most cases this distribution is also free of charge. The product is intended primarily to compete with other freely-available database platforms.

Versions for Windows

• 1999 - MSDE 1.0 (based on SQL Server 7.0)
• 2000 - MSDE 2000 (based on SQL Server 2000)
• 2003 - MSDE 2000 Release A [1]

SQL Slammer

MSDE was affected along with SQL server by the SQL Slammer worm, and that, together with many home users being unaware that they had MSDE installed, has worsened the impact of this worm. Also, if a computer running MSDE is infected with this worm via the Internet and then connected to a VPN, it is possible for the SQL Servers inside the NAT to be infected. Even worse, if users use their laptop both at home at and work they can bring the worm into work if they connect at home to the internet without NAT protection. This vulnerability can be corrected by installing the latest security patches available from Microsoft.

SQL Server Express

SQL Server Express has replaced MSDE. Support for MSDE ended on April 8, 2008.

Microsoft states that MSDE is not supported in Windows Vista, their new operating system; they recommend applications be built (or rebuilt) with SQL Server Express.

See also

• Microsoft Servers
• List of relational database management systems
• Comparison of relational database management systems

External links

• Microsoft product page
• SQL Server Express Edition

.