If you're running the Business Contact Manager for Outlook, you've no doubt noticed that during the installation process, a named instance of SQL Server 2005 Express also gets installed. The instance is called MSSMLBIZ and is used to host the BCM database.

If you're like me, you already have an instance of SQL running, and are probably wondering why the heck you need another one, taking up memory and other resources. Wouldn't it be better to combine all the SQL instances into one, for efficiency and easy of management's sake? Yes, I think it would. I really wish the installation process would give you an advanced option to not install MSSMLBIZ and use an existing database instead.

You do have the option of connecting to another database server and even using an existing database for running BCM. However, in my experience the process of actually getting it to work is less than straight-forward.

First of all, the Configure BCM Wizard by default expects the database server instance to be MSSMLBIZ, and even if you don't specify the instance name as part of the server name, the wizard will specifically look for MSSMLBIZ:

If your computer name is COMPUTER1, entering COMPUTER1 in the server dialog box will actually cause the wizard to look for COMPUTER1\MSSMLBIZ database instance. To look for a default instance, enter COMPUTER1\ . Perhaps my experience here is isolated, but the issue doesn't stop here.

Even if you enter COMPUTER1\ to force the Wizard to look for the default instance, the next step in the wizard will still look for COMPUTER1\MSSMLBIZ. It's probably a bug in the software, which I intend to report. However, the trouble is that there's no way around it. I'm guessing that the registry key mentioned in the last section below is responsible for this persistence…

So, my advice is that you shouldn't even bother with picking the default instance. Instead, proceed with these steps to configure BCM to use a database on a default SQL Server Express instance.

Install BCM as it wants to be installed

1. Yes, get BCM running using its favorite MSSMLBIZ instance and create your database on that instance. If you already have a database you want to use, you will have to either attach it to the new instance or do a backup/restore to re-create it.
2. If you're using an existing DB, the Wizard will want to upgrade it
3. Once the install/db configuration is complete, the Outlook Add-in will start and go through a little welcome/intro screen set, after which you'll be able to start/continue using BCM

Now you're ready to trick the Add-In into looking at another SQL instance.

Move database to preferred instance

1. Exit Outlook
2. Launch SQL Server management tools (you can use the Express Management studio if you don't have the fully-blown version of SQL Server; get it at http://microsoft.com/downloads)
3. Detach your BCM database from COMPUTER1\MSSMLBIZ and re-attach it to the default instance
4. Stop the COMPUTER1\MSSMLBIZ instance of SQL Server Express.

At this point you the BCM database is on your preferred (default, in my case) instance of SQL Server 2005.

Configure BCM to use default instance

1. Launch the registry editor (regedit.exe)
2. Navigate to "My Computer\HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Business Solutions eCRM" registry key
3. Locate SQLInstanceName key – it will have the value MSSMLBIZ
4. Delete the value, leaving SQLInstanceName blank

Now, when the BCM Add-In starts, it won't look for COMPUTER1\MSSMLBIZ and instead will connect to the default instance of SQL Server 2005.

Launch Outlook and verify that you have connectivity

1. Launch Outlook
2. If you don't get any BCM errors at startup, it means you've successfully fooled the Add-In into looking at your default instance.

At this point you can probably uninstall the additional instance of SQL Server 2005 Express and move on to reaping Business Contact Manager benefits.

Having other problems? Let me know!