How can I put my data on an external drive and it move between computers?

  • I want to be able to maintain my SQL Express data on an external drive and move it between computers. Ideally, I would like the whole SQL installation on the drive and connect to it from more than one machine (one at a time - not a network - physically connecting the drive). Could that work? I'm coming to this from the design and t-SQL end - and the installation thing is something of a black box to me.

  • I'm afraid it's not possible with express edition.

    You can do something similar with compact edition, but it's a totally different thing from a "regular" SQL Server.

    -- Gianluca Sartori

  • I would suggest you look at doing this with a virtual machine... just keep all the VM files on your external drive.

    You then just need a copy of the VM hosting software (some of which is free) on each machine you want to run on.

  • Sounds like a perfect solution for SQL Azure. You have data that you want everywhere you go, right? There it is.

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

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