I have an Installscript project that is fairly complex, includes a database component. We are using InstallShield 2011 - Professional Edition. (Version 17) We execute sql scripts against a MS SQL Server to create and update a database on first install, and to update it during "minor updates". There is some sort of database association that I cannot divine, where the installation's database connection is stored. (I've been looking at the setup.ilg and the registry.) There are some situations where we lose this association or connection, and I'd like to understand how the association works and how we might re-associate, if possible, after a database change.
Some scenarios:
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We install our product in a virtual machine, which contains a local MS SQL Server installation, ergo a local database. We then clone that virtual machine, giving it a different IP address, hostname. It has a new MAC address. Subsequent updates or modifications at the InstallShield level don't recognize the database on the clone.
At a customer site a database is lost, then restored. Resultant instance does not have this database association and updates aren't run.
A current customer has the app and database on a single machine. They want to move to a situation where the app is on machine 1 and the database is on machine 2. We can install a new installation to machines 1 and 2, but if they then detach the new db and attach the old one, the association is gone.
Sometimes, for security or other reasons, we must run our database create / update scripts outside of the installer, depending on the customer. It would be great if subsequent updates could be run from the installer. In other words, it would be great if we could associate that database with our installation.
I am not supporting our product in the field, but the people who are have all presented variations of the scenarios above to me, asking for help.
I'm not sure how to search for this, and I apologize if the way I'm asking about it is clumsy. Can you explain how the association works, point me in the direction of a solution?
