In some applications BDE gets installed on the operating system along with the installation of an application or an application may configure the BDE database at run time. Including these BDE settings in your application package can be problematic. Read on to learn a few BDE best practices.

Part of the installation procedure involves editing settings through the BDE Administrator. These settings are saved in a file: "C:\Program Files\common Files\Borland shared\BDE\IDAPI32.CFG"

The issue is that you can not directly include the captured IDAPI32.CFG file into your package. If I install it as part of package, it will overwrite whatever file is present thereby removing any previous configuration.

Solution: Use BDE Merge Module

You can download this Merge module from the Borland site. Follow the following link I've listed below. Here you have a choice to select the merge module of your preference. Depending on your software/application requirement, download the appropriate BDE merge Module.

http://info.borland.com/devsupport/bde/bdeupdate.html

You will be able to find following information when you extract the downloaded zip file from the site. This info will help you update your package for configuring using BDE merge module.

Example Steps

I incorporated the above defined procedure for my package to configure BDE merge module using Wise Package Studio.

Thus, the following example will help to you understand the exact procedure mentioned/suggested.

Follow these steps to incorporate the BDE Merge Module in your project:

1. Delete the "IDAPI32.CFG" file package.
   (Make sure that your captured package do not contain any BDE component).
   Compile it and save it in MSI format.
2. Copy BDE_PRO.MSM Merge Module directory, and then add this merge module into your package.
   
   Note: You must compare the shared components of your MSI and the components of BDE_PRO.MSM / BDE_ENT.MSM to verify which MergeModule (BDE_PRO.MSM or BDE_ENT.MSM) is required.
3. Add a new feature called "BDE" to your project.
   
   

   Click to view.

4. Specify the BDE Merge Module as a component for this BDE feature.
5. Build the .MSI file.
6. Use the BDE Merge Module Wizard (BDEMMCFG.EXE) to define the drivers and aliases to be deployed.
   
   Note: One must use the SETUP.EXECUTABLE (i.e make sure that your source application is install on your machine – If it is not installed on machine the you can not use configuration utility sucessfully) file before using the BDEMMCFG.EXE Wizard.

You will get the BDEMMCFG.EXE wizard with the Borland merge-module files.

Click to view.

You can choose BDE aliases, or deploy drivers without aliases by choosing them from an option list.

Click Add:

Click to view.

Add aliases: First add ABC Application

Click to view.

Then add ABC

Click to view.

This information is stored in a BDEMERGE.INI file which must be distributed with the .MSI file.

Click to view.

NOTE: ABC Application specific configuration

The BDE aliases for ABC Application are:
1. ABC Application
2. ABC

You should select both of these one by one and complete the configuration by saving it.

Once you have completed, you will find the related information in BDEMERGE.INI file.

Keep this file with the MSI.

You need to distribute your MSI keeping with this file, i.e keep this INI file in same folder where you kept the MSI.