MDF Tools Installer¶

Overview¶

The MDF Tools Installer provides an interactive setup wizard that automates the installation and configuration of prerequisites needed for processing SQL Server MDF (Master Database Files). This includes Docker Desktop installation, SQL Server Express container setup, and comprehensive container management tools.

Features¶

🐋 Docker Desktop Integration: Automatic detection and installation across platforms
🗄️ SQL Server Express Setup: Containerized SQL Server 2019 Express with persistent storage
⚙️ Interactive Configuration: Guided setup with customizable passwords and ports
📊 Real-time Status Monitoring: Comprehensive health checks for all components
🔧 Container Lifecycle Management: Complete control over SQL Server container
🔒 Secure Configuration: Encrypted password storage and configurable security settings

Quick Start¶

# Install MDF processing tools
pyforge install mdf-tools

# Check installation status
pyforge mdf-tools status

# Test SQL Server connectivity
pyforge mdf-tools test

System Requirements¶

Minimum Requirements¶

Operating System: Windows 10+, macOS 10.15+, or Ubuntu 18.04+
Memory: 4GB RAM total (1.4GB for SQL Server + 2.6GB for host system)
Storage: 4GB free space (2GB for Docker images + 2GB for SQL Server data)
Network: Internet connection for downloading Docker images (~700MB)
Docker: Docker Desktop 4.0+ with container support

Recommended Requirements¶

Memory: 8GB RAM (for optimal performance with multiple databases)
Storage: 20GB free space (for multiple MDF files and conversions)
CPU: 4+ cores (though SQL Server Express limited to 4 cores max)
Network: Broadband connection for faster image downloads

SQL Server Express Constraints¶

Maximum Database Size: 10GB per attached MDF file
Memory Limit: 1.4GB buffer pool (cannot be increased)
CPU Utilization: 1 socket or 4 cores maximum
Concurrent Connections: Practical limit of 5-10 users
Query Parallelism: Disabled (DOP = 1)

Supported Platforms¶

✅ macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon)
✅ Windows (Windows 10/11 with WSL2)
✅ Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL, Debian)

Architecture Overview¶

MDF Tools Installation Architecture¶

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                           HOST SYSTEM                               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  👤 User                                                           │
│  │                                                                  │
│  └─► 🔧 PyForge CLI                                                │
│      │                                                              │
│      ├─► 📄 ~/.pyforge/mdf-config.json                            │
│      │                                                              │
│      └─► 🐳 Docker Desktop                                         │
│          │                                                          │
│          └─► 📦 SQL Server Container (pyforge-sql-server)          │
│              ├─► 🗄️  SQL Server Express 2019                      │
│              ├─► 🔧 sqlcmd Tools                                    │
│              ├─► 💾 master database                                │
│              ├─► 💾 Attached MDF Database                          │
│              │                                                      │
│              └─► 📁 Docker Volumes                                 │
│                  ├─► pyforge-sql-data (/var/opt/mssql)            │
│                  └─► pyforge-mdf-files (/mdf-files)               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Installation Flow¶

Step-by-Step Installation Process:

1. User Command
   👤 User → pyforge install mdf-tools

2. System Check
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Check OS compatibility
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Detect Docker installation

3. Docker Setup
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Start Docker Desktop
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Pull SQL Server image (700MB)

4. Container Creation
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Create pyforge-sql-server container
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Configure port mapping (1433)
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Mount persistent volumes

5. SQL Server Configuration
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Start SQL Server Express
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Test connectivity with sqlcmd
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Verify database engine

6. Finalization
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Save configuration file
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Display connection details
   ✅ Installation Complete!

Installation Workflow Components¶

1. Host System Components: - PyForge CLI: Main application orchestrating the installation - Configuration File: Persistent settings stored locally - Docker Desktop: Container runtime environment

2. Container Infrastructure: - SQL Server Express 2019: Database engine for MDF processing - Persistent Volumes: Data survival across container restarts - Network Mapping: Port 1433 exposed to host system

3. Data Flow: - Installation: CLI → Docker → SQL Server → Configuration - MDF Processing: MDF File → Volume Mount → SQL Server → Parquet Output - Management: CLI Commands → Docker API → Container Lifecycle

System Integration Points¶

Component	Purpose	Technology	Persistence
Docker Desktop	Container orchestration	Docker Engine	System service
SQL Server Container	Database engine	SQL Server Express 2019	Container lifecycle
Data Volume	SQL Server system data	Docker volume	Persistent across restarts
MDF Volume	User MDF files	Docker volume	Persistent across restarts
Configuration	Connection settings	JSON file	Local filesystem
Network Bridge	Host-container communication	Docker bridge	Dynamic port mapping

MDF Processing Workflow¶

How MDF Files Are Processed (Future Feature):

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     MDF TO PARQUET CONVERSION                       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 1: File Preparation
   👤 User → pyforge convert database.mdf
   📁 MDF File → Copy to /mdf-files volume

Step 2: Database Attachment  
   🔧 PyForge CLI → ATTACH DATABASE 'database.mdf'
   🗄️  SQL Server → Validate MDF structure
   ✅ SQL Server → Database attached successfully

Step 3: Schema Discovery
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Query table metadata
   🗄️  SQL Server → Return table schemas & row counts
   📊 PyForge CLI → Display table overview

Step 4: Data Extraction
   🔧 PyForge CLI → Execute SELECT queries (chunked)
   🗄️  SQL Server → Return table data in batches
   📦 PyForge CLI → Convert to string format

Step 5: Parquet Generation
   📦 PyForge CLI → Generate .parquet files
   📊 PyForge CLI → Create Excel summary report

Step 6: Cleanup
   🔧 PyForge CLI → DETACH DATABASE
   📁 MDF File → Remains in volume (unchanged)
   ✅ Conversion Complete!

Output Structure:
   database_parquet/
   ├── Users.parquet
   ├── Orders.parquet  
   ├── Products.parquet
   └── conversion_summary.xlsx

Supported MDF File Types¶

SQL Server Version	MDF Compatibility	Processing Status
SQL Server 2019	✅ Native	Optimal performance
SQL Server 2017	✅ Compatible	Full support
SQL Server 2016	✅ Compatible	Full support
SQL Server 2014	✅ Compatible	Full support
SQL Server 2012	✅ Compatible	Full support
SQL Server 2008/R2	⚠️ Limited	May require upgrade
SQL Server 2005	❌ Incompatible	Not supported

Note: MDF files from newer SQL Server versions (2022+) may not be compatible with SQL Server Express 2019.

Installation Process¶

The installer follows a structured 5-stage process:

Stage 1: System Requirements Check¶

Validates operating system compatibility
Checks Docker Desktop installation status
Verifies Docker SDK for Python availability

Stage 2: Docker Installation (if needed)¶

macOS: Automatic installation via Homebrew
Windows: Automatic installation via Winget
Linux: Package manager instructions (apt/yum)
Manual: Step-by-step installation guides

Stage 3: Docker Startup¶

Connects to Docker daemon
Waits for Docker Desktop to be fully operational
Validates Docker API accessibility

Stage 4: SQL Server Express Setup¶

Downloads Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Express image
Creates and configures container with:
Persistent data volume (pyforge-sql-data)
MDF files mount point (pyforge-mdf-files)
Default port mapping (1433)
Secure password configuration

Stage 5: Configuration and Validation¶

Saves configuration to ~/.pyforge/mdf-config.json
Tests SQL Server connectivity using sqlcmd
Displays connection details and next steps

macOS Installation Walkthrough¶

Scenario 1: Docker Already Installed¶

$ pyforge install mdf-tools

╭──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ PyForge MDF Tools Setup Wizard                                           │
│ Setting up Docker Desktop and SQL Server Express for MDF file processing │
╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

[1/5] Checking system requirements...
✓ Operating System: macOS 14.5.0 (supported)
✓ Docker Desktop: Installed
✓ Docker SDK for Python: Available

[3/5] Starting Docker Desktop...
✓ Docker Desktop is running

[4/5] Setting up SQL Server Express...
📥 Pulling SQL Server image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-latest
⠴ ✓ SQL Server image downloaded
🚀 Creating SQL Server container...
⏳ Waiting for SQL Server to start (this may take a minute)...
✓ SQL Server is ready

[5/5] Installation Complete!
              SQL Server Connection Details              
┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━┳━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓
┃ Property    ┃ Value                                   ┃
┡━━━━━━━━━━━━━╇━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┩
│ Host        │ localhost                               │
│ Port        │ 1433                                    │
│ Username    │ sa                                      │
│ Password    │ PyForge@2024!                           │
│ Container   │ pyforge-sql-server                      │
│ Config File │ /Users/username/.pyforge/mdf-config.json│
└─────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────┘

🎉 Setup completed successfully!

Scenario 2: Docker NOT Installed¶

$ pyforge install mdf-tools

╭──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ PyForge MDF Tools Setup Wizard                                           │
│ Setting up Docker Desktop and SQL Server Express for MDF file processing │
╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

[1/5] Checking system requirements...
✓ Operating System: macOS 14.5.0 (supported)
❌ Docker Desktop: Not found

[2/5] Docker Installation Required
Docker Desktop is required for MDF file conversion.

Would you like to:
  1. Install automatically using Homebrew (recommended)
  2. Get installation instructions
  3. Skip (I'll install manually)
  4. Continue without Docker (installation will fail)

Choice [1]: 1

📦 Installing Docker Desktop (this may take several minutes)...
✅ Docker Desktop installed successfully!
🚀 Launching Docker Desktop...

⏳ Waiting for Docker Desktop to start...
✅ Docker Desktop is running!

[4/5] Setting up SQL Server Express...
📥 Pulling SQL Server image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-latest
⠴ ✓ SQL Server image downloaded
🚀 Creating SQL Server container...
⏳ Waiting for SQL Server to start (this may take a minute)...
✓ SQL Server is ready

[5/5] Installation Complete!

Command Reference¶

Installation Commands¶

`pyforge install mdf-tools`¶

Interactive installation wizard for MDF processing tools.

Usage:

pyforge install mdf-tools [OPTIONS]

Options: - --password PASSWORD: Custom SQL Server password (default: PyForge@2024!) - --port PORT: Custom SQL Server port (default: 1433) - --non-interactive: Run in non-interactive mode for automation

Examples:

# Default installation
pyforge install mdf-tools

# Custom password and port
pyforge install mdf-tools --password "MySecure123!" --port 1433

# Non-interactive mode (for scripts)
pyforge install mdf-tools --non-interactive

Container Management Commands¶

`pyforge mdf-tools status`¶

Displays comprehensive status of all MDF tools components.

Usage:

pyforge mdf-tools status

Sample Output:

                      MDF Tools Status                       
┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┳━━━━━━━━┳━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓
┃ Component             ┃ Status ┃ Details                  ┃
┡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━╇━━━━━━━━╇━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┩
│ Docker Installed      │ ✓ OK   │ Docker command available │
│ Docker Running        │ ✓ OK   │ Docker daemon responsive │
│ SQL Container Exists  │ ✓ OK   │ Container created        │
│ SQL Container Running │ ✓ OK   │ Container active         │
│ SQL Server Responding │ ✓ OK   │ Database accessible      │
│ Configuration File    │ ✓ OK   │ Settings saved           │
└───────────────────────┴────────┴──────────────────────────┘

✅ All systems operational - ready for MDF processing!

`pyforge mdf-tools start`¶

Starts the SQL Server Express container.

Usage:

pyforge mdf-tools start

Sample Output:

🚀 Starting SQL Server container...
⏳ Waiting for SQL Server to start (this may take a minute)...
✓ SQL Server is ready

`pyforge mdf-tools stop`¶

Stops the SQL Server Express container.

Usage:

pyforge mdf-tools stop

Sample Output:

🛑 Stopping SQL Server container...
✓ SQL Server container stopped

`pyforge mdf-tools restart`¶

Restarts the SQL Server Express container.

Usage:

pyforge mdf-tools restart

Sample Output:

🛑 Stopping SQL Server container...
✓ SQL Server container stopped
🚀 Starting SQL Server container...
⏳ Waiting for SQL Server to start (this may take a minute)...
✓ SQL Server is ready

`pyforge mdf-tools logs`¶

Displays SQL Server container logs.

Usage:

pyforge mdf-tools logs [OPTIONS]

Options: - --lines N, -n N: Number of log lines to show (default: 50)

Examples:

# Show last 50 lines (default)
pyforge mdf-tools logs

# Show last 100 lines
pyforge mdf-tools logs --lines 100

# Show last 10 lines
pyforge mdf-tools logs -n 10

`pyforge mdf-tools config`¶

Displays current MDF tools configuration.

Usage:

pyforge mdf-tools config

Sample Output:

Configuration file: /Users/username/.pyforge/mdf-config.json
{
  "sql_server": {
    "container_name": "pyforge-sql-server",
    "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-latest",
    "host": "localhost",
    "port": 1433,
    "username": "sa",
    "password": "PyForge@2024!",
    "data_volume": "pyforge-sql-data",
    "mdf_volume": "pyforge-mdf-files"
  },
  "docker": {
    "installed_version": "Docker version 20.10.17",
    "installation_date": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
  },
  "installer_version": "1.0.0"
}

`pyforge mdf-tools test`¶

Tests SQL Server connectivity and responsiveness.

Usage:

pyforge mdf-tools test

Sample Output:

🔍 Testing SQL Server connection...
✅ SQL Server connection successful!

`pyforge mdf-tools uninstall`¶

Removes SQL Server container and cleans up all data.

Usage:

pyforge mdf-tools uninstall

Sample Output:

Are you sure you want to remove SQL Server and all data? [y/n]: y
🛑 Stopping and removing container...
✓ Container removed
✓ Data volume removed
✓ MDF files volume removed
✓ Configuration file removed
✅ Uninstall completed successfully

Configuration¶

Configuration File Location¶

The installer saves configuration to ~/.pyforge/mdf-config.json:

{
  "sql_server": {
    "container_name": "pyforge-sql-server",
    "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-latest",
    "host": "localhost",
    "port": 1433,
    "username": "sa",
    "password": "PyForge@2024!",
    "data_volume": "pyforge-sql-data",
    "mdf_volume": "pyforge-mdf-files"
  },
  "docker": {
    "installed_version": "Docker version 20.10.17",
    "installation_date": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
  },
  "installer_version": "1.0.0"
}

Customizable Settings¶

Custom Password¶

pyforge install mdf-tools --password "YourSecurePassword123!"

Custom Port¶

pyforge install mdf-tools --port 1434

Docker Volumes¶

The installer creates two persistent Docker volumes:

`pyforge-sql-data`¶

Mount Point: /var/opt/mssql
Purpose: SQL Server system databases and data files
Persistence: Survives container restarts and recreations

`pyforge-mdf-files`¶

Mount Point: /mdf-files
Purpose: MDF files to be processed
Access: Shared between host and container

SQL Server Express 2019 Technical Details¶

Database Engine Specifications¶

The MDF Tools Installer uses Microsoft SQL Server Express 2019, the free edition of SQL Server's enterprise database engine. This provides a robust, production-grade database environment for MDF file processing.

SQL Server Express 2019 Key Features: - Core Engine: Same database engine as Enterprise edition - T-SQL Support: Full Transact-SQL language support - Security: Enterprise-grade security features - Reliability: ACID compliance and transaction support - Performance: Query optimizer and execution engine - Backup/Restore: Full backup and restore capabilities

Edition Limitations and Constraints¶

⚠️ Important Limitations to Consider:

Limitation	SQL Server Express 2019	Impact on MDF Processing
Database Size	10 GB per database maximum	Large MDF files (>10GB) cannot be processed
Memory (RAM)	1.4 GB buffer pool limit	Performance may be limited with large datasets
CPU Cores	1 socket or 4 cores maximum	Processing may be slower on high-core systems
Concurrent Users	No enforced limit (practical ~5-10)	Multiple simultaneous conversions may impact performance
Parallelism	Degree of Parallelism (DOP) = 1	Queries cannot use parallel execution

❌ Features Not Available: - SQL Server Agent (automated jobs) - Advanced Services (Analysis Services, Reporting Services) - Advanced security features (Always Encrypted, Row-Level Security) - Advanced performance features (In-Memory OLTP, Columnstore) - Enterprise backup compression - Database mirroring and log shipping

✅ Features Available for MDF Processing: - Full T-SQL query support - ATTACH DATABASE functionality - All standard data types - Backup and restore operations - Database schemas and relationships - Indexes and constraints

Performance Characteristics¶

Optimal MDF File Sizes: - Small MDF files: < 1 GB (Excellent performance) - Medium MDF files: 1-5 GB (Good performance) - Large MDF files: 5-10 GB (Acceptable performance, may require chunking) - Very Large MDF files: > 10 GB (❌ Cannot be processed - requires SQL Server Standard/Enterprise)

Memory Usage Patterns: - Container Base: ~500 MB (SQL Server Express) - Available for Data: ~900 MB (after system overhead) - Recommended Host RAM: 4 GB minimum (for container + host OS)

Database Connection Details¶

Connection Parameters¶

Server: localhost
Port: 1433 (default) or custom port
Database: master (default system database)
Authentication: SQL Server Authentication
Username: sa (system administrator)
Password: PyForge@2024! (default) or custom password
Edition: SQL Server Express 2019
Version: Microsoft SQL Server 2019 (RTM) - 15.0.4430.1

Connection String Examples¶

Python (pyodbc)¶

import pyodbc

connection_string = (
    "DRIVER={ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server};"
    "SERVER=localhost,1433;"
    "DATABASE=master;"
    "UID=sa;"
    "PWD=PyForge@2024!"
)

conn = pyodbc.connect(connection_string)

Command Line (sqlcmd)¶

# From host (requires SQL Server tools)
sqlcmd -S localhost,1433 -U sa -P "PyForge@2024!" -Q "SELECT 1"

# From container
docker exec pyforge-sql-server /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
  -S localhost -U sa -P "PyForge@2024!" -Q "SELECT 1" -C

Scaling Beyond SQL Server Express¶

When to Consider Upgrading¶

Upgrade to SQL Server Standard/Enterprise if you encounter: - MDF files larger than 10 GB - Need for high-performance parallel processing - Requirements for SQL Server Agent automation - Advanced security features (Always Encrypted, etc.) - Multiple concurrent users (>10) - Enterprise backup and restore features

Alternative Solutions¶

For Large MDF Files (>10 GB): 1. Split Processing: Break large tables into chunks using date ranges or ID ranges 2. SQL Server Standard: Upgrade to paid edition with higher limits 3. Cloud Solutions: Use Azure SQL Database or SQL Managed Instance 4. Alternative Tools: Consider specialized MDF extraction utilities

Migration Path Examples:

# Option 1: Cloud-based processing
# Upload MDF to Azure SQL Database
# Process using cloud resources
# Download results

# Option 2: Chunked processing (when converter supports it)
# pyforge convert large.mdf --chunk-size 1000000 --date-range "2020-2023"
# pyforge convert large.mdf --chunk-size 1000000 --date-range "2019-2020"

Cost Considerations¶

Edition	Cost	Database Size Limit	Memory Limit	Use Case
Express	Free	10 GB	1.4 GB	Development, small applications
Standard	~$1,500+	524 PB	OS limit	Medium applications
Enterprise	~$5,000+	524 PB	OS limit	Large enterprise applications

Security Considerations¶

Password Security¶

Default password meets SQL Server complexity requirements
Custom passwords should be strong (8+ characters, mixed case, numbers, symbols)
Passwords are stored in local configuration file (not transmitted)

Network Security¶

SQL Server only accessible on localhost by default
Container isolated in Docker bridge network
No external network exposure unless explicitly configured

Container Security¶

Runs SQL Server Express (free edition with limitations)
Container uses official Microsoft SQL Server image
Automatic security updates through image updates

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues¶

Docker Desktop Not Starting¶

Symptoms: "Docker daemon is not responding" Solutions: 1. Manually launch Docker Desktop application 2. Restart Docker Desktop 3. Check system resources (memory, disk space) 4. Restart computer if needed

SQL Server Connection Failed¶

Symptoms: "SQL Server connection failed" Solutions: 1. Check container status: pyforge mdf-tools status 2. View container logs: pyforge mdf-tools logs 3. Restart container: pyforge mdf-tools restart 4. Verify password in config: pyforge mdf-tools config

Port Already in Use¶

Symptoms: "Port 1433 is already allocated" Solutions: 1. Stop other SQL Server instances 2. Use custom port: pyforge install mdf-tools --port 1434 3. Check for conflicting containers: docker ps

Insufficient Memory¶

Symptoms: Container exits with memory errors Solutions: 1. Increase Docker memory allocation (4GB minimum) 2. Close other applications to free memory 3. Check available system resources

Debug Commands¶

# Check Docker status
docker info

# List all containers
docker ps -a

# Check container logs
docker logs pyforge-sql-server

# Inspect container configuration
docker inspect pyforge-sql-server

# Check Docker volumes
docker volume ls

# Test SQL Server directly
docker exec pyforge-sql-server /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
  -S localhost -U sa -P "PyForge@2024!" -Q "SELECT @@VERSION" -C

Getting Help¶

If you encounter issues not covered in this guide:

Check Status: Run pyforge mdf-tools status for diagnostic information
View Logs: Use pyforge mdf-tools logs to see SQL Server startup messages
Restart Services: Try pyforge mdf-tools restart to resolve temporary issues
Reinstall: Use pyforge mdf-tools uninstall followed by pyforge install mdf-tools

Next Steps¶

After successful installation:

Verify Installation: Run pyforge mdf-tools status to confirm all components are operational
Test Connectivity: Use pyforge mdf-tools test to verify SQL Server is responding
Install MDF Converter: Install the MDF to Parquet converter (when available)
Process MDF Files: Use PyForge to convert your MDF files to modern formats

MDF to Parquet Converter (coming soon)
Database Files Overview
CLI Reference
Troubleshooting Guide

MDF Tools Installer¶

Overview¶

Features¶

Quick Start¶

System Requirements¶

Minimum Requirements¶

Recommended Requirements¶

SQL Server Express Constraints¶

Supported Platforms¶

Architecture Overview¶

MDF Tools Installation Architecture¶

Installation Flow¶

Installation Workflow Components¶

System Integration Points¶

MDF Processing Workflow¶

Supported MDF File Types¶

Installation Process¶

Stage 1: System Requirements Check¶

Stage 2: Docker Installation (if needed)¶

Stage 3: Docker Startup¶

Stage 4: SQL Server Express Setup¶

Stage 5: Configuration and Validation¶

macOS Installation Walkthrough¶

Scenario 1: Docker Already Installed¶

Scenario 2: Docker NOT Installed¶

Command Reference¶

Installation Commands¶

pyforge install mdf-tools¶

Container Management Commands¶

pyforge mdf-tools status¶

pyforge mdf-tools start¶

pyforge mdf-tools stop¶

pyforge mdf-tools restart¶

pyforge mdf-tools logs¶

pyforge mdf-tools config¶

pyforge mdf-tools test¶

pyforge mdf-tools uninstall¶

Configuration¶

Configuration File Location¶

Customizable Settings¶

Custom Password¶

Custom Port¶

Docker Volumes¶

pyforge-sql-data¶

pyforge-mdf-files¶

SQL Server Express 2019 Technical Details¶

Database Engine Specifications¶

Edition Limitations and Constraints¶

Performance Characteristics¶

Database Connection Details¶

Connection Parameters¶

Connection String Examples¶

Python (pyodbc)¶

Command Line (sqlcmd)¶

Scaling Beyond SQL Server Express¶

When to Consider Upgrading¶

Alternative Solutions¶

Cost Considerations¶

Security Considerations¶

Password Security¶

Network Security¶

Container Security¶

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues¶

Docker Desktop Not Starting¶

SQL Server Connection Failed¶

Port Already in Use¶

Insufficient Memory¶

Debug Commands¶

Getting Help¶

Next Steps¶

Related Documentation¶

`pyforge install mdf-tools`¶

`pyforge mdf-tools status`¶

`pyforge mdf-tools start`¶

`pyforge mdf-tools stop`¶

`pyforge mdf-tools restart`¶

`pyforge mdf-tools logs`¶

`pyforge mdf-tools config`¶

`pyforge mdf-tools test`¶

`pyforge mdf-tools uninstall`¶

`pyforge-sql-data`¶

`pyforge-mdf-files`¶