Convert SQL Server Compact database (*.sdf) to SQLite3 (*.db)

To do this, you will need:

• Visual Studio 2012 or 2013 (2010 would probably work too. However, it won't work with 2015 as Microsoft dropped the support for SQL Server Compact databases)

In Visual Studio:

• Open your project (or create one) with Visual Studio.
• On the left-side panel, open Data Sources and click on Add New Data Source -> DataBase -> DataSet
• If your database is based on SQL Server Compact 3.5 or older:

Click on New Connection:

Make sure SQL Server Compact 4.0 is selected.
Click on Create and name a new database. Validate with OK.
Back to the wizard, click now on New Connection and Browse. Pick your database file.
Validate.

• If your database is based on SQL Server Compact 4.0:

Click on New Connection then Browse and pick your database file.

You should now see your database in the Server Explorer (left panel).

• Now open the Extensions Manager with NuGet and install SQL Server Compact & SQlite Toolbox created by ErikEJ.

After rebooting your Visual Studio, you should now see a new icon in the Server Explorer :

• Click on the new blue icon.

Right click on your database (the original) and select the following entry:

Follow the instructions.

The internal scripts will generate a *.sql output with all of the instructions required to create the database back.

With SQLite3 tools:

• Install the sqlite3 tools from here.
• Open a command line (ensure that the location of the sqlite tools is in the path).
• Finally type:

sqlite3.exe DB.db ".read db.sql"

(replace db.sql with the name of your generated sql file)

Cem SOYDING

Author & Editor

Senior software engineer with 12 years of experience in both embedded systems and C# .NET