In what format does SqlCeConnection expect its connection string arg?

Question

I have a call to SqlCeConnection.Open() that\'s failing. The exception message I\'m getting is pretty generic: \"System.Data.SqlserverCe.SqlCeException\" (more generic than pre

Answer 1

The problem, as indicated by the error text, is that the SDF file was created by a version of SQL Compact that doesn't match the version of SQL Compact that the application is referencing. I wouldn't focus on the reported version numbers, just the fact that it knows there's a mismatch.

If you don't know the version of the SDF, you can always look it up by reading a few bytes from the SDF file.

SQL Compact database files aren't 100% transportable. You definitely cannot take an SDF from a newer version and load it with an older set of runtimes.

If the database was created with 3.1, you can upgrade it to 3.5 by calling SqlCeEngine.Upgrade().

You cannot programmatically upgrade from 1.0 or 2.0 to any newer version. You must use the older SQL Compact libraries to interact with the database or you must recreate the database targeting the newer runtimes.

If the database was created on a PC, the first use will force a full re-index because the indexes are formatted differently on a device. If you have a lot of data in the database, it's often best to make sure what you deploy to the device was actually last opened on a device to prevent users from having to wait for that re-index.