Getting Started with English Query

Before you can get started building an English Query application, you need to install the English Query designer. This is not installed by default when you install the SQL Server database software. The English Query packages should be installed on your personal workstation for development, not the database server.

TIP

English Query is included in the Standard, Enterprise, and Developer editions of SQL Server 2000.

Throughout this chapter, I will be referencing a movie database. It is a very simple database that contains only three tables used by the English Query application: Customers, Movies, and Rentals. The Customers table lists all the customers for a mythical video store. The Movies table lists all the movies in the inventory. The Rentals table is a transaction table that describes who rented which movies, when the movies were rented, and when they were returned to the store.

Installation

Installation is done from the original SQL Server 2000 distribution CD. From the splash screen, you have an option to Install English Query.

After selecting English Query installation, you have the option to install complete or runtime packages. The runtime packages are necessary only when distributing a finished English Query application. Installation of these packages would not be required if you deployed a Web application that used English Query.

For development, select the complete installation. This installs the English Query processor and snap-in designer for Visual Studio 6.0. Approximately 25 “40Mb of disk space is required, depending on whether you already have VS 6.0 installed and which options you have.

Microsoft includes a very well-developed set of English Query tutorials with the complete installation. These packages leverage the Northwind database and Food Mart 2000 OLAP cubes for their examples.