What is "sql-server-express"

Microsoft SQL Server Express is a version of Microsoft’s SQL Server relational database management system that is free to download, distribute, and utilize. It consists of a database specifically oriented for embedded applications and smaller scale. The product traces its roots to the Microsoft Database Engine (MSDE) of the product, which was shipped with SQL Server 2000. The "Express" brand has been used since the release of SQL Server 2005.

Characteristics

SQL Server Express provides many of the features of paid, full versions of Microsoft SQL Server database management system. However, it has technical constraints that make it unsuitable for some large-scale implementations. Differences in express product include:

  • The maximum database size of 10 GB per database in SQL Server 2016, SQL Server 2014, SQL Server 2012 and 2008 R2 Express (4 GB for SQL Server 2008 Express and earlier; compared to 2 GB in the old MSDE ). The limit applies per database (deleted log files); but in some scenarios users can access more data through the use of multiple interconnected databases.
  • No SQL Server Agent Service
  • artificial hardware usage limits:
    • Single physical CPU but multiple cores allowed
    • 1 GB of RAM (running on a system with a larger amount of RAM, but using only, at most, 1 GB per instance of SQL Server Database Engine "Recommended:. Express Editions: 1 GB All other editions: At least 4 GB and should be increased as database size increases to ensure optimal performance). Express with Advanced Services has a limit of 4 GB per Reporting Services instance (not available in other express variants). Analysis Services is not available for any express variant.

Unlike the predecessor product, MSDE , the express product does not include a concurrent workload-governor "performance limit if the database engine receives more work than is typical of a small number of users.

SQL Server Express includes several GUI tools for database management. These include:

The predecessor MSDE product usually lacked basic GUI management tools.

Features available in SQL Server "Standard" and better editions, but absent from SQL Server Express include:

  • Analysis Services
  • Integration services
  • notification services