Getting a local .mdf database to work with a WPF C# app using VS 2013 Express for Desktop

Question

I'm developing an app that happens to have some records that need to be updated pretty often. I wanted to avoid deploying SQL Server on the client pc so I read a lot and thought a local .mdf file could be a solution (not so sure now if it's possible to avoid deploying SQL Server, after a few days I'm just realizing I could be miles away from right LOL).

Also, reading, I found there was a way to bind controls to data by visually moving objects from the Data Sources window, so I thought I was going to save a lot of time, but in the end I just got really confused because I couldn't get to actually write to the database file and information currently available seems to be pretty unspecific and works/doesn't for a lot of versions and flavors of VS (i.e. WPF, Windows Forms, vs 2008, vs 2010, and even older .NET framework versions), so I thought someone here in stackoverflow forums might have these things pretty clear.

So, I have some questions I believe will clear out my confusion (and anyone coming across this problem):

1. Can a .mdf file actually be used without a SQL Server installation?

   VS is sometimes confusing, it offers to create a local database file without requiring a SQL Server install, I guess I take a lot of things for granted as I'm not an experienced .NET programmer.

2. If it's not possible. Is there any other way to avoid deploying SQL Server on the client, and is it a valid concern?

   Maybe I shouldn't be worried about not deploying a SQL Server install on the client machine?

3. Can I get the fancy data bound controls to work with some similar kind of 'automagical' update call that writes changes directly to the database?

   There seem to be two ways of managing the database using the app, and, of course, I would like to do it this way and just get those data bound controls to work, as the database is huge and there is not much to process in the way, just store.

4. Does the DataSet contain a temporal copy of the database?

   I have a Database.mdf and a DataSet.xsd and, after searching for reference, I still don't know exactly what's up with these two guys.

Answer 1

1. No. When you create a new item in your project, the Server-based Database template creates an MDF file and requires a SQL Server Express instance to be installed on all clients.

2. The Local Database template creates an SDF file, which is a SQL Server CE database. Despite the name, SQL Server CE is a completely different product to SQL Server (Express). SQL Server CE doesn't use a server so you can either install it on the client or just deploy the required DLLs with your app.

3. Run the Data Source wizard and select your data source. The rest is done for you, as long as you select a supported data source. You can use SQL Server Instance, SQL Server Express File, SQL Server CE or Access out of the box. You can also support Oracle, MySQL and others with downloads from third-party providers.

4. The MDF is the actual data file, the same as big SQL Server uses to store data. The XSD is the XML schema definition for the DataSet, which is a class like any other. When you retrieve data from the database you use a table adapter, which is an instance of a custom class generated by the Data Source wizard. That table adapter wraps up the standard ADO.NET connection and data adapter objects that you would use yourself if you were not using the wizard. The Fill method of the table adapter populates a DataTable in a DataSet, which are also custom classes generated by the wizard that inherit the standard DataTable and DataSet classes. Once you've made the desired modifications to the data, you call Update on the table adapter to save the changes back to the database. If your controls are bound then populating the DataTable will automatically populate your controls and making modifications in your controls will automatically modify the data in the DataTable.