Crystaltech, SQL Server 2005 and 2 Aspirin

I use Crystaltech view site for my hosting company, and aside from the slow server response about 25% of the time, they are a good hosting service. I should note that I am paying for the bottom of the rung service at about $25/month. My service includes SQL Server 2005. So I figured no problem... I will just download SQL Server Express and I am on my way! After downloading SQL Server Express 2008 and developing my databases I was ready to put it up on the server. I right click on my database and the import and export menu items are missing. I didn't realize that the express editions removed those functions. I found that CrystalTech offers a database import service for and additional $5.00. And I figured I would give it a go. The CrystalTech Import is actually a restore function that works from a .bak file. After many failed attempts I was told by the tech help team at CrystalTech that 2008 is not backward compatible to 2005. Uggg! I assumed that is would be and now I have been screwed by Microsoft again. I tried changing the compatibility level MSDN Reference to 90, but I still got the same error when I created a .bak file and attempted to restore it on SQL Server 2005. (After some more reading, I don't think that is what compatibility level is used for.) So I went on a hunt to find a full version of SQL Server Management Studio for 2005. There were also many third party utilities some worked well, others had problems with column headers, keys and identity elements. The ones that really worked were too expensive for me. Then I went looking for SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition. I found one on amazon for about $150.00 and seriously considered it. Fortunately I found Ruslan Sivak's Blog. Ruslan Sivak's Blog. (Ruslan is a fellow Coldfusion developer and also uses Ray Camden's blogCFC). As Ruslan points out there is a toolkit that installs the SQL Server import /export utility. I first installed SQL Server Management Studio Express from SQL Server 2005 Downloads. (I already had the database installed). Then I installed the SQL Server Express SP1 from SP1 Which seemed to run a completely new install. And then I went searching for: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Toolkit SP1 but I could not find it. Instead I download Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Toolkit from SQL Server 2005 Downloads. And low and behold... The import / utility was exactly where Ruslan said it would be. [C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\DTS\Binn\DTSWizard.exe]. I followed his instructions to add the external link my SQL Studio Express and it worked perfectly. Many thanks Ruslan. Your blog post was most valuable to me.