DB Project/Solution Best Practice

Question

I have an app (ASP.NET 3.5/ VS 2010) that works with a database project.

Is there any downside to having the database project as one more project within the app solution?

Is it better to have another solution just for the database project?

Answer 1

No real downside in the scope of this single app. If the same DB is used by multiple apps, you might be more easily able to reuse it by having it in its own solution, but even then, you could set it up as an external in your source control and be able to reference the latest build from a "lib" directory downloaded when you update source on other solutions.

Answer 2

My rule of thumb is: if one project directly references another project, they should be in the same app solution. If the projects are related, but don't reference one another, they should be their own solutions, in separate subfolders of the same main folder. If two multi-project solutions are related, place them in separate places, then use Add Existing Project to reference the appropriate other project in the solution.

Most of my projects end up being solutions because I add a testing project. So I split up every component into a separate solution, and then reference the appropriate projects in other solutions as needed using Add Existing Project, so I can debug from one solution into another. But they are all kept separate and are stand-alone.