C# application with simple database?

I开发者_如何学JAVA want to build an application that indexes files in a database. This database will be accessed by another app to read the files data.

Both will be run as a service.

What is the best database? SQL Express, Compact, Access file?

You might want take a look at SQLite. There is a .NET Wrapper for easy use.

Of the databases you mentioned I would pick SQL Express.

I wouldn't share the database across programs using SQL Compact and Access lacks locking capabilities to allow many concurrent users.

In the past, I used VistaDB. A pure .NET solution that also works rather well in a multi-user scenario, with simply XCOPY deployment (just ship a DLL within your application folder; maybe even ILMerge would work).

Since it now has its third owner (if I counted correctly), I am really unsure whether to base future projects on this tool.

From a performance perspective, MDB is faster than VistaDB.