Hi I have a c# project in visual studio 2010 and Im wondering how to do the following
I have deployed this project already to a tester. It uses a SQL database in the backend. When I published a new version and sent him the new installer he had to remove the old version first which in turn removed his database.
What I'm looking for is a way to publish the project such that it overwrites the old stuff that has changed while leaving his database in tact.
(This would also need to but probably would circumvent the message that you can't install because its already installed in another location)
Thanks in advance for your help
The absolute simplest solution is to not use an MSI or an installer to update the program. Since this is a .NET app, it just needs to be copied to the file system. (XCOPY deployment)
The next simplest solution is to use a true database - have the database be something that is set up separate from your application.
This might also work, but I have no time to test it personally: If this is a .dbf file or another file included with the project, you might be able to change the option on that file by selecting "Copy if newer" on the Copy to Output Directory Property in the properties pane for that DB file.