Maximum PC

Is there a way that I can use either VB Express or MS SQL Server 2008 itself to create a simple 1-screen app that will allow a user to modify 1 table in a database of several dozen. They only need access to the 1 table, and that table is not really "linked" (through keys) to any of the other tables, so if it go corrupted, etc, it wouldn't really affect the other tables.

How can this be done? If I had VS.net 2010 I would do it there, but unfortunately I don't, and I don't care to pay the $500 to write this one app. Can MS SQL be used some how to create a data entry/modification form that can be run on a client and then connected to the SQL server. All of this would be happening in a local domain (so no external clients or servers).

Right now, it isn't much of any issue, but if the table needs modification, i have to modify myself "by hand" (logged into SQL SERVER Management studio on the server). I need a way that someone without SQL knowledge can simply add/edit/remove items from the table. I would obviously set up another user account with privileges to just the single table in question.

Your post is confusing as heck but I'll do my best to answer it:

1. Yes, you can create apps using VB Express and SQL Server 2008. I would recommend using SQL Server 2008 R2 Express or 2012 Express editions. You're limited to 1 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 10GB database but I doubt you'll ever reach those limitations...that and it's free.

2. All SQL Server conenctions are just ADO.NET (soon, ODBC) conenctions. A connection string will take care of that for you.

3. You can use Entity Framework to abstract SQL calls. I use it frequently, I rarely ever write SQL for my apps unless I'm using Dapper (a micro-ORM which is pretty much say, raw SQL). You map your EF objects to SQL tables (done automatically for you using EDMX files) or you can use EF to generate the database for you (EF code first). Either way, you can query your database as if it were a LINQ call on a collection.

I'm aware of the SQL Compact Edition (Express edition maybe its called), but I need to connect the full-blown Server version, hopefully using VB Express. someone told me that you can't (and that you need VB Professional to do that). The database is already created, by the way, I just need to be able to read it and extract data from it and update a few tables, but the tables already exist.

You shouldn't have any issues. VB Express edition is a limitation on the IDE, not the language.

I've read quite a few mixed stories on this issue lately, and still haven't quite found a good solution. We can't use the SQL Server Compact Edition because the program that interacts with the DB I need to use only runs with the full-blown SQL Server system and is NOT compatible with the Compact Edition at all.

I may just have to get the Pro edition of VS 2010. Not a big deal (it is almost $500), but I'm sure that I would probably end up using the IDE for other projects as well, thus making its purchase somewhat justifiable.

Compact and Express are not the same. Compact contains a deployable package for your app, so if your app needs its own serverless db or if you're hosting your app using the .NET Compact Edition, SQL Server Compact wins.

Express is the full blown server with the following limitations:

- 1 CPU core
- 4GB of RAM
- 10GB DB limit

Otherwise, it's a full blown install of SQL Server.