RedGate SQL Comparison SDK API Licensing Issue

Question

First of all Sorry all that I have to write the lengthy question, But it is necessary to write these things to explain my problem better.

We have an installer to install our application. I want to upgrade the database through installer. So, I have created a snapshot of the latest structure database and placed in the package of the application. I have used the RedGate SQL Comparison SDK API to compare structure of two databases and then synchronize the customer database with the latest snapshot (which I have provided).

I am using custom action class library project to write the methods and those methods will be called the installer itself.

I have purchased the RedGate License key and also RedGate Tool is installed on one machine. On the same machine, I have a installshield license, So I am writing the custom action code on that machine only.

We need to add 'licenses.licx' file in the project where we are using the RedGate SDK API. I have added that file as mentioned in 'http://documentation.red-gate.com/display/CSD11/Distributing+your+SDK+applications'.

I have added that file and the compilation succeeded, as I have the license activated on the same machine. So, first of all to embed the license with the project I had deactivated the RedGate License from the installed RedGate and then While compiling the project I got a popup for activation as shown below:

I have applied the valid license, then I have compiled the installer project from installshield 2014 (which is using the custom action project).

My code of synchronizing the database is working as expected. So, I didn't found any problem in the synchronization code.

Here, the problem is: If I will install the product on the machine which have the Redgate License, then the product will be installed and database will be synchronized successfully. On the client machines, it is obvious that they would not have the RedGate license. The installer is giving the activation popup as shown in above image just before starting the synchronizing.

Even though I have given the valid license at the time of compiling the, I am not able to sync the dbs on other machines.

Hope, someone has a solution for this.

Thanks in anticipation.

Answer 1

Did you rename the assembly after compiling? The engine requires that the assembly file name is the same as the name of the embedded licence resource. Here's a quote from the relevant page in the documentation.

When deploying an assembly utilizing SQL Comparison SDK to a remote site where SQL Comparison SDK is not already installed and activated, you may be asked to activate the SDK, even though the assembly had been built and licensed correctly.

The problem occurs after renaming an assembly. SQL Comparison SDK assemblies cannot be renamed after they are built, because the licensing system requires the licence resource embedded into an assembly to bear the same name as the assembly file name.

You can either change the assembly back to its original name, or change the settings in your Visual Studio project so that the output assembly is compiles as a different name and deploy the assembly built with the desired name.