I'm creating a small database application to teach myself the following concepts
I want to use Microsoft Access as the database but I can't seem to find any mention of whether its possible to use SQLMetal to generate the ORM code from a Microsoft Access database.
Does anyone know if this is possible?
If not, are there any small database or embedded databases I could use? I think SQL express woul be overkill for me at this point.
I don't think SQL Express would be overkill if you want to learn real-world skills - quite the opposite in fact! That'd be my choice, and whatever I chose, I'd stay clear of Access.
Good luck
AFAIK, Linq to SQL is MSSQL server provider specific. To be honest, SQL Express is pretty lightweight on todays machines.
BTW don't confuse LINQ with Linq to SQL. Linq is the underlying technology to provide "query" like support to .NET (amongst other things), where as L2S is effectively a Data Access technology built on top of Linq. Vanilla Linq will work with any ADO.NET provider, which of course Access is one.
Entity Framework will work with any compatible provider also but if SQLExpress is too heavy for you then I wouldn't recommend going down this path...
For an embedded database, you can use SQL Server Compact Edition. Unlike SQL Server Express, it is not compatible with the LINQ to SQL designer, but it is fully compatible with the command-line SQLMetal. It has a few advantages over SQL Express, like to ability to use embedded or run from a file. Microsoft has a very handy chart outlining the differences between Express and Compact.
Thanks for all the responses. I never expected to get an answer this quick. For my test application I think SQL Server Compact Edition would be the way to go. I'm basically creating a money managment app similar to Microsoft Money and although it is an exercise to learn skills, I would eventually want to use it to manage my finances (provided its not too crap!)
This why I thought a fully blown database would be overkill.