I went through various loops trying to get things working. In the end I wrote a document for myself. I've modded it it for here. It describes one way of getting VWD, MSSMSE, Sql 2005 express working together. It's probably not the best way, and I'm ready for it to be torn apart. It assumes you know nothing which was my position at the start so it's a little pedantic. Still for what it's worth....here goes...
This document is for new DNNers who
Do NOT have Visual Studio
Want access to the DNN database to inspect tables while DNN is running.
Have Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) installed . This is the MS web server.
Will use Microsoft Sql Server Management Studio Express to inspect / modify the database. If you do not know about it and do not have Visual Studio you probably need it.
There are many ways and options to do the DNN install. It is likely that after creating your new DNN Web site you will discover we have not configured things as you want. That's OK. It is easy to throw it all away and start again with a new DNN site. My advice is to accept that the first (and quite likely the second and third) DNN sites that you create will be just training exercises for the real thing.
First pick your web site / domain name. For this exercise I have called it WannSki, so whereever you see that change it to your name. It does not have to be a registered domain name.
One thing to remember about DNN is that most of the content of your web pages is set up while accessing your DNN website in a browser. If you screw something up and DNN can't / won't run properly (or at all) you may have difficulties fixing it.
So an occasional backup of your DNN database and web site might be a good idea.
All of the following was done on Windows 2000 server but it should be much the same for all the other flavours.
Ensure you are logged on Windows as an administrator for all of the following
1) Install Microsoft Software.
Install Sql Server Express (SSE)
Install Visual Web Developer. (VWD)
Install Microsoft Sql Server Management Studio Express (MSSMSE)
Installing VWD should also install SSE, but I did it the other way round and I know it works.
2) Install DNN from the vsi file...
Navigate to http://dotnetnuke.com
Click Downloads icon
Got to latest 4.x.y version
Download the documentation and the starter kit.
Right-click on the vsi file (the starter kit) and select install.
If you do not have Visual Studio then it is pointless at this stage to download the source as VWD does not have the facilities to build / run / debug the source code.
3) Create a new Visual Web Developer Solution
Decide on a name - usually your proposed domain. In this example I am calling it WannaSki.
Start Visual Web Developer.
Close down the current solution if any ... Menu > Close Solution.
Go: Menu > New Web Site
Select / Fill in the three fields:
Location: File System
Language: Visual Basic
Location: c:\web\WannaSki (or wherever you want)
The directory and lots of files underneath it will be created when you ...
... Select the icon marked 'DotNetNuke Web Application Framework' and then OK.
4) Create the Database
DNN has a database for each independent web site you create. Do not worry about portals for the moment. I suggest you create the database with a special name. The DNN default is that all DNN databases have the same name and it can be confusing when you have built 3 or 4 test DNN sites.
In VWD ...
Open Solution explorer.
Click on App Data
Right Mouse Button (RMB) and select Add New Item
Select SQL Database
Change the name to WannaSki.mdf and press 'Add'
This database will contain much of the content the you add to your web site, but it also contains all sorts of stuff the controls the database, such as users, roles, who can do what, what is on each page, what the menus look like, what colour, shape and size your pages are etc. If you lose this database you've lost everything for that web site.
5) Go Configure
If all has gone well you will find yourself looking (inside VWD) at the document:
C:\web\WannaSki\Documents\Welcome.html
Open up a browser window and put that address in. We will be closing VWD and don't want to lose this info. You will see the following:
Create/Configure a SQL Server Database
Edit the SQL Server Connection String in web.config
Configure your WebServer
Configure NTFS File Permissions Choose a site template
Install DotNetNuke
We will not bother with 3 and 4 - you do not need them at this stage.
6) Microsoft Sql Server Management Studio Express to see WannaSki database
We are going to configure this database so it can be accessed by VWD, MSSMSE and DNN simultaneously. At this moment VWD has grabbed the database and no-one else can get it. We need to release it. The easiest way to do this is to close down VWD.
Start MSSMSE.
Under MSSMSE > Object Explorer > Databases > Attach...
In the 'Attach Database' Window press "Add..." (This takes a while - don't panic)
Navigate to C:\web\WannaSki\App_Data\WannSki.mdf
"OK" your way back to the Object Explorer
You will see your database "C:\WEB\WANNASKI\APP_DATA\WANNASKI.MDF". This is the name of the database - not the location. Rename it to WannSki.
If you open WannaSki Database you can look at the tables - there are none. The system tables are kept in System databases.
Click on Database Diagrams and reply yes to the query about creating the support objects. This will allow you to have a visual overview of tables, foreign keys etc.
7) Setting up 'The Database User'
There are a number of ways to do this. Here is one which works, but may not address your security / access concerns. However, you can solve those in version 2. We are going to route all Dnn database updates through a single new user.
Object Explorer > Databases > WannaSki > Security > Users > (RMB) New User..
Set User Name to 'WannaSki'.
For Login Name browse (...) to 'Select Login' window
'Browse...' to 'Browse for Objects' window
Check [BUILTIN\Users] and 'OK' back to the 'New User' window
Select db_owner for the Owned Schemas and Database role membership
You can leave MSSMSE running. You do need to ensure that MS Sql Server service is started at System start time. This is the default.
8) Configuring the web.config file.
You can start VWD again.
In VWD > Solution Explorer, locate the file release.config.
Rename it with RMB to web.config.
Double click the file to open it.
This is another file, which, if you screw it up, your DNN installation might well cease to work.
We are now going to change the connection setting so that DNN connects to the running version of the database. The way DNN is supplied by default, the database is started when you run DNN. This means no one else can access it. We are doing it differently.
There are two different connections strings. We will change them BOTH.
Open VWD
If necessary go to the file menu and open your web site
Double click on web.config to edit it.
Locate the section <connectionStrings> and replace the whole section with
<connectionStrings>
<add name="SiteSqlServer" connectionString="Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=WannaSki;Integrated Security=True; User ID=WannaSki" />
</connectionStrings>
Note that <add name=...etc..../> is all on one line.
Locate the <AppSettings> section
Replace the first 5 lines all to do with key="SiteSqlServer" with..
<add key="SiteSqlServer" value="Data Source=.\SQLExpress;Initial Catalog=WannaSki;Integrated Security=True;user id=WannaSki" />
Check the error list VWD - There should be 0 errors.
There will be about 11 'requirePermission' warnings which can be ignored.
Save the web.config and close it.
9) Install DotNetNuke in the database and scripts
Press F5 and answer that you want debugging enabled if a windows pops up requesting it.
A browser window will open to show progress
If you get any error messages about:
Database version does not match the DNN version
Something is not set to an instance of something
Cannot connect to the database
.. then double and triple check your connection string.
Examine the DNN Installation information that is displayed in the Browser window. In fact copy it and save it somewhere so you can go back later and be sure the installation was OK.
Now go to the bottom and click on
Access you Portal.
I you get any messages with red triangles saying module not loaded then close the application. Browser, go back to VWD and try again.
However you may then get a message about
CannotUnloadAppDomainException was unhandled.
Close down again, open up and this time it works. I haven't the faintest idea why.
10) Relax in the pleasant afterglow of success.