Does EventSentry work with SQL Server 2005 Express? What do I need to

EventSentry definitely works with SQL Server 2005 Express, however some special steps need to be taken to make EventSentry work with SQL Server 2005 Express. Most of the steps outlined in this article also apply to SQL Server 2005.

1. Configuring SQL Server 2005 Express
1. Make sure that SQL Server is installled in Mixed Mode.
2. Using the SQL Server Surface Area Configuration, make sure that Local and Remote Connections are allowed, using either TCP/IP or TCP/IP and Named Pipes. Restart the SQL Server service if you made any changes.
3. Make sure that the SQL Server Management Studio Express is installed (SQLServer2005_SSMSEE.msi).
4. Using the SQL Server Configuration Manager, double-click TCP/IP under Protocols for SQLEXPRESS in the network configuration.
5. On the IP Addresses tab, note down the number next to TCP Dynamic Ports in the IPAll section.

2. Installing and configuring EventSentry
There are no special steps that need to be taken with EventSentry when working with SQL Server 2005 Express, however you will need to make sure that you specify the server name (where your SQL Server Express is installed) correctly. Failure to do so will result in connection errors.

Instead of simply pointing to the hostname, you will need to point to the hostname, instance and port number (which was noted down in step 5). For example, if your SQL Server Express is installed on host DB-01 and the TCP port number is 1098, then the "hostname" you need to specify in EventSentry is:

DB-01\SQLEXPRESS,1098

Use the above string (adapted to your server name and port) whenever connecting to the database, whether it is during the EventSentry setup, when setting up an ODBC DSN or when configuring an ODBC connection string.

3. Reducing event log messages from SQL Server in the application event log
By default, the EventSentry database will be set to "Auto Close" which generates a lot of "Starting up database 'EventSentry'" messages in the application event log.

To turn this feature off, open the SQL Server Management Studio Express, right click the EventSentry database and select Properties. Select the "Options" page and set Auto Close to FALSE and click OK.