SQL Server 2005 Express Edition - Part 13 - ClickOnce Deployment and Security

(Marcin Policht) In the most recent installments of our series dedicated to SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, we have been exploring one of its more distinguishing and popular features known as the user instance model. As we pointed out, this functionality is often employed by .NET applications to provide easily configurable and transferable data storage. In particular, its advantages become apparent when combined with ClickOnce technology, used to automate installations and updates of managed (i.e. .NET-based) code. While we have already documented relevant ClickOnce publishing parameters and described a sample scenario demonstrating their practical use, in order to fully understand all aspects of this deployment methodology, it is important to become familiar with security mechanisms that affect its outcome. The main purpose of this article is to present their overview.