This section describes the steps necessary to use SQL Server 2000/2005 or compatible with the BBS engine. You will need to create a database, run the database scripts, populate initial data, and then configure the BBS to connect to the database.
From SQL Server Enterprise Manager (2000) or SQL Server Management Studio (2005), browse to your server and create a blank database. You may use any name that you want. Please note: it is beyond the scope of this document to describe the optimal settings for SQL Server. You should read the documentation and understand proper database administration if you plan on using SQL Server.
From Query Analyzer (2000) or Management Studio (2005), open CreateDatabase.sql from the BBS installation folder. This is a long T-SQL script that creates all of the tables and other database objects used by the BBS. You must execute this script against the blank database you created previously. Never run this script against an existing BBS database because it will recreate all of the database objects and delete all data.
Next you must create a SQL Server login account that will be used by the BBS to access the database. You may use any login account and password you desire. Ensure the login account has data reader and data writer access to the database. The account should not be given administrative permissions, such as the ability to modify objects.
For brand-new databases, open ResetData.sql from the BBS installation folder. This T-SQL script populates the database with default data. Never run this script against an existing BBS database because it will delete and reset your data (unless you want to reset your data).
If you are up-scaling from an Access database, use the Import/Export wizard to populate the database with all of the tables from your Access file. All tables and fields are identical (or compatible) and will migrate to the SQL Server database relatively easily. It is not necessary to run the ResetData.sql script as described in the previous step; that script is for brand new systems only.
The application configuration file contains the settings necessary for the BBS engine to connect to a database. The file is located in the same folder as the executable. It will be called BBSDesktop.exe.config if you are running the desktop server, or BBSService.exe.config if you are running the Windows service. Browse to this file and open it with Notepad, Visual Studio, or an XML editor.
You must define the database driver used by the BBS engine, and then configure that database driver.
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