Supporting SQL Compact 3.5

Native code is so cool! As of today I can write applications that target SQL CE 2.0, 3.0 and the new 3.5 Beta 2. The trick? Extend this technique to the SQL Compact 3.5 header files. Microsoft made our life really easy by making very small changes to the header file, so you only need to copy the definition of CLSID_SQLSERVERCE_3_5 and all the property definitions of
DBPROP_SSCE_DBENCRYPTIONMODE. Now your header file can be used for 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5!

What this means for me is that SQL Compact 3.5 will be supported by the release version of Data Port Console and I will also issue a last version of DesktopSqlCe that will also support the new database engine. This will be the only game in town for .NET 2.0 desktop applications that must support both the 3.0 and the 3.5 database formats (without code changes, of course).

Cool!

SQL Compact 3.5 Beta 2 and VS2005

Ready to move forward and add SQL Compact 3.5 support to my products, I downloaded the Beta 2 bits in the hope to find the required header files. Unfortunately they were nowhere to be found. Does that mean that you cannot use VS2005 with SQL Compact 3.5 Beta 2? No. Fortunately there is an indirect way to get the much-needed header files: download and install either Orcas Beta 2 (not yet for me) or Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition Beta 2. Apparently the header files are also available on the Visual Basic edition.

Now back to work.