What installs SQL Express?

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What installs SQL Express?

Stuart Davies

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November 1, 2012 at 5:54 am

#393518

We're in the middle of a security audit at my place of work and we have unearthed a lot of SQL express installations (different versions). I know that a Visual Studio installation can also install SQL Express - but not all of the PCs have Visual studio installed.
Some of the users have had the PCs from new and claim that they haven't installed it.
Does anyone know how to determine what has installed it - or am I asking for the impossible and have to compare installed software on all the PCs to try to find a common element?
Thanks in advance
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GSquared SSC Guru Points: 260824 More actions · Answer 1

A fair number of applications will install SQL Express as their data backend. Mainly if you have third party .NET apps installed. I've seen that a fair number of times.

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Scott D. Jacobson SSCertifiable Points: 6089 More actions · Answer 2

Gus is right, quite a few applications use SQL Express as their backend these days. One I can think of is Symantec's BackupExec software.

Stuart Davies SSCoach Points: 19505 More actions · Answer 3

Thanks for the replies - one of the net admin chaps here put me onto the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit which might give me more information to go on.

-------------------------------Posting Data Etiquette - Jeff Moden [/url]Smart way to ask a question
There are naive questions, tedious questions, ill-phrased questions, questions put after inadequate self-criticism. But every question is a cry to understand (the world). There is no such thing as a dumb question. ― Carl Sagan
I would never join a club that would allow me as a member - Groucho Marx

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 734449 More actions · Answer 4

When I worked at JD Edwards, OneWorld stuck an MSDE (Express) instance on client machines to cache some data.

paul.knibbs SSCoach Points: 15320 More actions · Answer 5

The instance name of the installed software may give a clue as to what installed it--the aforementioned Backup Exec instance is called BKUPEXEC, for example.

Stuart Davies SSCoach Points: 19505 More actions · Answer 6

Thanks for additional info Steve and Paul - will try to check for these as well

-------------------------------Posting Data Etiquette - Jeff Moden [/url]Smart way to ask a question
There are naive questions, tedious questions, ill-phrased questions, questions put after inadequate self-criticism. But every question is a cry to understand (the world). There is no such thing as a dumb question. ― Carl Sagan
I would never join a club that would allow me as a member - Groucho Marx

P Jones SSChampion Points: 12352 More actions · Answer 7

Visio Professional also installs express I believe (I know older versions of Visio did) and so does installing the sql tools such as BIDS or Management Studio.

At least most users don't even know it is there so don't put data into it!