Question

How do I install and configure SQL Server Express for use with FogBugz?

Answer 1

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. Download SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services (the 234 MB version around the middle of the page) or SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services (the 515 MB version on the right).
2. When installing, select SQL Server Management Studio to be installed. It's in the bottom part of the tree. Continue the installation.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Exit SQL Server Management Studio Express.
6. 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)
7. 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.

Answer 2

The direct link has changed, it is now http://www.microsoft.com/express/Database/

Answer 3

Before they decide to use SQL Server Express one should know the limitation of the FogBugz database in SQL Server cannot exceed 4 GB in total size. So it depends on how you use FogBugz (bug tracking with lots of attachments, wiki, etc) and how long before your database requires maintenance and shrinking, or even upgrading to SQL Server Standard Edition.

Rick