(Problem) Named instance as SQLEXPRESS?

What if I give my named instance as SQLEXPRESS? I read that SQLEXPRESS

would be the name of the DEFAULT instance if no named instance is given.

In such a situation how can I find out if its a named or the default one?

SQLExpress is always a named instance.

jens K. Suessmeyer.

http://www.sqlserver2005.de
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Hi Ananda,

You might be a bit confused by the terms "default instance" and the fact that SQL Express is installed by default as a named instance.

Default Instance - This is the term we use to describe the copy of SQL Server that can be refered to by just the name of the computer in a connection string. There can only be one default instance of SQL Server on any computer. This is compared to a named instance, which is refered to by the <machine name>\<named instance name> in the connection string.

As Jens points out, SQL Express is installed by default as a named instance, and that named instance is SQLEXPRESS. If you specified SQLEXPRESS for the INSTANCENAME parameter in a command line install, or in the UI, you have installed a named instance. You can also install to a different named instance (up to 16 different instances for SQL Express) or you can install SQL Express as the default instance, but the default instance does not have a specific instance name.

Mike