Making sure SQL Server Express with Advanced Services is installed

The edition of Microsoft SQL Server Express being used for your database server can be determined from the database server Properties dialog box.

XML columns are only supported with SQL Server Express Edition with Advanced Services that have Full-Text Search installed. The Full-Text Search component is required to support ArcSDE and native XML columns; when installing SQL Server Express Edition with Advanced Services, you must install Full-Text Search. Other editions of SQL Server Express do not include support for full-text searching.

Note:

If you install the SQL Server Express instance provided with ArcGIS Server 9.3 Workgroup or later releases, the Advanced Services version of SQL Server Express is provided, and Full-Text Search is set to install by default.

SQL Server Express instances installed with ArcGIS Server 9.2 Workgroup do not include Advanced Services. To support ArcSDE XML columns and applications that use them, such as ArcIMS Metadata Services, you must upgrade the SQL Server Express instance.

Follow these steps to find out which edition of SQL Server Express you have installed.

Steps:

1. Start ArcMap, open the Catalog window, then expand the Database Servers node in the Catalog tree.
2. Right-click the database server and click Properties.
3. The Product name should be Microsoft SQL Server Express Edition with Advanced Services. If instead it says Microsoft SQL Server Express Edition, you must upgrade your SQL Server Express instance. Instructions can be found in Upgrading a SQL Server Express instance to Advanced Services.