Installing SQL Server Express

SQL Server Express is a great new free option from Microsoft, for those who want more power than is available from Access, but do not feel a full installation of SQL Server is worth the investment.  In particular, SQL Server Express allows FogBugz to do a full text search of its cases, which is not possible within Access. 

To make things easier for our customers who might be interested in SQL Server Express, here's a step-by-step guide to installing SQL Server Express for use with FogBugz.

  1. Go to the Microsoft website and download the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services (the 234 MB version on the right side).  Full text search capability is apparently considered an "advanced service". 
  2. When installing, be sure to select the Full-Text Search option for installation on the feature selection page.  It's hidden in a tree view under an icon labelled Database Services.  We would also recommend installing the Replication option under there in case there is a need to copy databases in the future, such as when moving servers.
  3. From that same feature selection, select SQL Server Management Studio to be installed as well - it's in the bottom part of the tree.  Continue the installation.
  4. Once SQL Server Express is installed, open up SQL Server Management Studio Express.  Go to Security->Logins.  Right-click, and select New Login...  Use the account that you are currently logged in as, making sure to specify it as a domain account if necessary.
  5. Right-click on the newly created login, go to Server Roles in the menu on the left, and make the login a sysadmin by checking the appropriate checkbox.
  6. Exit SQL Server Management Studio Express.
  7. Now do the FogBugz install.  When it asks you for the SQL Server location, put in the same settings that SQL Server Management Studio had for the Server field (usually just the name of your computer, sometimes it might be <computername>\SQLExpress if you created a named instance)
  8. The rest of the FogBugz installation should go smoothly.  Your login should have sysadmin rights, so that the FogBugz installer can add a FogBugz user to SQL Server. 

These steps have been tested in an installation at Fog Creek Software.  If you have any difficulties, let us know and we will help you get your installation working.