after doing some research i’m still not sure if using mysql with .net desktop apps is the right choice. most tutorials for mysql are explained with php and mention that this DB in mainly used in web applications, but the SQL server alternative is either size limited (express version) or quite expensive.
i tried this nice tutorial: http://weblogs.asp.net/gunnarpeipman/archive/2010/12/09/getting-mysql-work-with-entity-framework-4-0.aspx and created a small WPF + Entity framework application that seems to work nice but i would be happy if someone with more experience in this could give me some advice.
Thanks.
When you say “desktop app”, do you mean that the database is “private” to one instance of the application, or that there are several application instances “talking” to the same database (potentially over the network)?
If the former is the case, what you really need is an “embedded” database. There are several options, including:
You could of course also use a client-server DBMS in that scenario, but you’d have to consider whether this might be “too powerful” for your needs, and put unnecessary administration burden on your customers.
If the latter is the case, then you definitely need a “real” client-server DBMS.