SQL Server 2005 Express

OK I like to think I am pretty intelligent and all that, but it seems to me that getting PowerArchitect to work with SQL 2005 Express is extremely buggy and/or counter-intuitive.

Has anyone really gotten this to work?

And please don't tell me to read the PowerArchitectUserGuide-0.9.13.pdf.

There is absolutely NOTHING in there about connecting to SQL Express 2005.

I have tried to load the JDBC 1.2 driver from Microsoft to no avail and the 2.0 is apparently not supported?

I would like to support open source on this but really, if it is this complicated to just connect to a database, I can't wait to see how cumbersome the actual tool is to use.

Just my 2 cents worth. Any help is appreciated.

gamartin wrote:OK I like to think I am pretty intelligent and all that, but it seems to me that getting PowerArchitect to work with SQL 2005 Express is extremely buggy and/or counter-intuitive.

Has anyone really gotten this to work?

Sure, I'm using it. It was a matter of 3 or 4 mouse clicks.

Unless you tell us what exactly is not working, nobody will be able to help you

the 2.0 is apparently not supported?

What makes you think that?
I'm using 2.0 without problems

I am getting the same error as everyone else typically gets (see below).

Yes I have ensured that my SQL instance is set to accept TCP/IP.

I have tried every suggestion I could find here in the forums to make it work and nothing seems to work.

I am wondering if it is more a question of the syntax required to indicate "SQLExpress" in the connection parameters than anything else really. I have seen 2 different possibilities in the forum, one as "localhost\SQLExpress" and on with the port reading "1433;instance=SQLExpress".

I have tried both and neither work apparently.

What makes me think 2.0 does/did not work was that I downloaded it, installed it, tried to create a new JDBC connection using it and when I tested the connection got an error saying that that version of the driver was not supported. Unfortunately now I cannot recreate that result, however my original issue remains the same.

A simple checklist/step-by-step instruction for configuration would go a long way to making the tool easier to use.

Anyway here is the god-awful long error message.

Again any help is appreciated.

com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerException: The TCP/IP connection to the host has failed. java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused: connect
at com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerException.makeFromDriverError(Unknown Source)
at com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerConnection.connectHelper(Unknown Source)
at com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerConnection.loginWithoutFailover(Unknown Source)
at com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerConnection.connect(Unknown Source)
at com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver.connect(Unknown Source)
at ca.sqlpower.sql.JDBCDataSource.createConnection(JDBCDataSource.java:267)
at ca.sqlpower.swingui.JDBCDataSourcePanel$1.actionPerformed(JDBCDataSourcePanel.java:16

at javax.swing.AbstractButton.fireActionPerformed(Unknown Source)
at javax.swing.AbstractButton$Handler.actionPerformed(Unknown Source)
at javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.fireActionPerformed(Unknown Source)
at javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.setPressed(Unknown Source)
at javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicButtonListener.mouseReleased(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Component.processMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
at javax.swing.JComponent.processMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Component.processEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Container.processEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.retargetMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.processMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Window.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(Unknown Source)

gamartin wrote:I am getting the same error as everyone else typically gets (see below).

Yes I have ensured that my SQL instance is set to accept TCP/IP.

The error message clearly indicates that it is a connection problem.

Are you using the correct port? (IIRC SQL Server Express does not use the standard port 1433)
What about the firewall? (Although I doubt that it kicks in for local connections)
Is the services really started?
Can you connect from other JDBC based tools?
Can you connect from SQL Server Management Studio Express?

I am wondering if it is more a question of the syntax required to indicate "SQLExpress" in the connection parameters than anything else really. I have seen 2 different possibilities in the forum, one as "localhost\SQLExpress" and on with the port reading "1433;instance=SQLExpress".

I have never used the instance parameter.
The following URL works fine for me:

jdbc:sqlserver://localhost;databaseName=mydb

What makes me think 2.0 does/did not work was that I downloaded it, installed it, tried to create a new JDBC connection using it and when I tested the connection got an error saying that that version of the driver was not supported. Unfortunately now I cannot recreate that result, however my original issue remains the same.

V2.0 contains two different jar files.
One is named sqljdbc.jar which will only work with Java 5.
The other is named sqljdbc4.jar which will only work with Java 6.
So depending on the Java version you are using you need to use either the first or the second file.

See also this post here: http://www.sqlpower.ca/forum/posts/list/2612.page