I’m writing a .NET app that connects to a remote hosted SQL Server. Researching hosts for when I roll this app out to multiple customers, I find that SQL Server 2008 R2 Web Edition is cheaper (monthly on a hosted dedicated server) than the Workgroup Edition and much cheaper than the Standard edition. Everything says Web Edition is for “website support” and “internet facing” use.
I know I must use Windows Server Standard and not Windows Server Web Edition to support database services, but what about the SQL Server version?
Simply – can a large number of users of a .NET Windows Forms program use a direct connection string to connect to SQL Server 2008 R2 Web Edition on the hosted server without going through a web server / browser?
Yes, it supports remote data connections.