SQL Server Express 2012 LocalDB

This article explains how to troubleshoot issues caused by LocalDB while attempting to access an existing instance using a different username or account.

This article is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT professionals.

If you are using Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Express LocalDB as a database backend with Syskit Monitor, there can be permission issues while attempting to access an existing LocalDB instance using a different username or account. These configuration issues can arise when upgrading the application to a new version and using a different user account.

By default, access to the instance of LocalDB is limited to its owner. The data contained in the LocalDB is protected by file system access to the database files. Ownership of the LocalDB instance cannot be changed. It is owned by the user that was used for the configuration.

If you are having connection problems and getting errors while accessing the LocalDB instance, we recommend that you delete the instance owned by the other user and create a new instance under a different user.

Please note! If you want to use a different user account, the existing database cannot be used!

To delete completely the LocalDB instance that is owned by the old user, open Regedit.exe and search for “SysKitMonitorPrivate”. You will get two results in total:

1. ‘Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server Local DB\Shared Instances\SysKit Monitor’

2. ‘Computer\HKEY_USERS … \SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\UserInstances{ … }’

Next, right-click the selected entry and click Delete. Then select F3 to find the last entry and delete it like the previous one.

Afterwards, start the Command Prompt as an administrator and perform the following steps to create and manage a new LocalDB instance:

1. sqllocaldb create “SysKitMonitorPrivate” – creates a new of instance of SQL Server Express LocalDB.

2. sqllocaldb share “SysKitMonitorPrivate” “.\SysKitMonitor” – shares the specified private instance of LocalDB using the specified shared name.

3. sqllocaldb start “SysKitMonitorPrivate” – starts the specified instance of SQL Server Express LocalDB.

The newly created LocalDB instance should be up and running now and ready for use in the Syskit Monitor Configuration Wizard. If you are having trouble accessing the instance, check its status by entering the following command: sqllocaldb info “SysKitMonitorPrivate”.

If you want to use the existing database, you can export and create a database backup from the backstage screen in Syskit Monitor, to a desired location and restore it to the designated SQL Server instance.