I am totally lost in the choice between Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition and Microsoft JET Engine, though I have written an article as a free ad. for Microsoft SQL Server Compact, click here to see that article.

The limitations of Microsoft JET Engine:

  1. No 64-bit supported, even the plan. But I am doubtful about the fact that Microsoft won’t publish 64-bit Office?
  2. Security protection, that’s an all known issue.

The major features of Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition:

  1. Promise to offer a pure 64-bit solution in next release (current version is 3.5 beta 2). And SQL Server already release 64-bit support in Developer Edition and higher editions.
  2. Offer the T-SQL similiar syntax.
  3. Do not support Stored procedure, however the Microsoft JET Engine supports a very simple version which called Query.
  4. The Synchronization Services for ADO.NET give me so many pleasantly surprised, but it’s very hard to use it directly: 4.1 No existed demo for using this library to synchronize two **SQL Compact **database tables 4.2 No funcationality for synchronize two database tables which not located in same PC beside using Web service solution 4.3 To fit the library requirement, that are lots of changes (unrecoverable) should be done upon the current design, the risk is high.
  5. Of course, the security protection will be a little bit stronger.
  6. The previous version of SQL Server Compact **are called **SQL CE, so, it’s easily to publish the application into the mobile devices, and it will be also much more easier to synchronizer the data between mobile device and desktop PC.
  7. A very important thing is, change the lying database means a huge task!

So, I have to thinking about carefully, doing lots of the test, as well as posting the questions on **MSDN forum **for help, and waiting for the answers.

And before I made a decision, I have to keep losing ….