mfewtrell - 11:24 pm on Feb 10, 2005 (gmt 0)

Your explanation makes more sense now although you are well off the mark!

Exchange has nothing to do with SQL, exchange is a mail server /messaging client. It allows Email to be routed around the company, shared address books to be set up and things like that.

SQL Server however is managed using the Enterprise Manager and/or Query Analyser. These can be used to manage SQL Server databases either locally or across a network (including the internet). Your version of Enterprise Manager was probably installed from the trial version and you are probably managing MSDE through it. MSDE being the Microsoft Data Engine which is a cut down version of SQL Server. MSDE is a Free download and often gets installed alongside other products.

There is no problem doing that but if you need this for development work you would be better off buying the developer copy of SQL Server which is about £25 (I dont know where you are located in the world) and using this instead. This will give you the full version of SQL Server with all functionality, although only licenced for development.

You do not require a Domain or Active Directory to install SQL Server and the developer version will run just fine on Windows XP. You wouldn't want to run a production copy on XP as SQL Server takes much of its security from Active Directory which isnt on XP. On XP you can just set it up with username/password combinations.

Once you have the Enterprise Manager installed on your workstation you should be able to connect to the remote database across the internet and use the facilities to carry out normal management (according to what is allowed by the security at the other end).

As a point of interest i find it useful to keep two database copies, one live one and one local just incase!

I hope this makes things a little clearer.

Martyn Fewtrell