I am developing a small windows application in .net. What DB should I use?
DB Structure
Table 1 : Not more than 3 fields : 50+ records (Add, Delete)
Table 2 : Not more than 10 fields : 10-20 records (Add, Delete)
I thought of using XMLDatabase but some say its not advisable to use it. What are the reasons for this? If it is OK to use XML files as the DB then can you suggest some tutorials or best practices? I have worked with XML files before. Is there anything different when it comes to using it as a DB?
I am also planning to distribute the application to my friends some time later and these guys are not programmers and they are less tech savvy.
So If I am using SQL server how can I deploy it in others machine? How can I add it to the setup file?
Update: Thanks for the answers. I am going for SQLite and here is a tutorial about SQLite and .net if someone is interested.
SQLite is a good way to go for small applications. It’s fast, competent, and has a small footprint.
For .Net there’s a great managed SQLite library that I’ve used in previous projects:
http://sqlite.phxsoftware.com/
Edit:
Given the choice between SQLite and SQL Server Compact edition, you’ll almost always want to go with SQLite unless you need some of the advanced functionality that SQLite doesn’t support.
[I stand corrected on the installation size of the SQL Server Compact Edition. The last time I looked into it, it was much more unfavorable. Might be just as good now.]