does VS2005 need to remain installed with most editions of SQL Server 2005?

My understanding is that at installation of all but the Express edition, there is no choice but to have VS2005 installed as well. If this is true, can VS 2005 at least be uninstalled after a different debugger is enlisted?

VS2005 is not a debugger it is a development tool you need to develop Reports, Cubes and SSIS packages, if you install only the relational engine I think you could skip VS2005 but if you want to use the other subsystems you have to install VS2005.

|||do you have a way to find out for sure? We know that VS2005 is a development tool but we read that a debugging component of VS2005 is the default for SS2005 and therefore the reason that you dont have an option when installing SS2005. We're just not sure at this point.|||

I have it here I have not run a debugger because I have no need for debug, I think the person is talking about solution build option it defaults to debug but it is job of the developer to change the build option to production instead of debug if that is an issue. You can install it in your box and play with it before installing it in the server.

|||thanks, we already installed ss2005 std edition on a non production box and didn't notice any choice when it came to vs2005. We did our homework and have come to you because we fear that something was overlooked on our end. Did vs2005 install automatically when you put ss2005 on your machine?|||

That option is context sensitive if you don't have a project open, that is a development project open you will not see the option, and production does not mean production server it is the only other option because this VS2005 is free, other versions of VS2005 comes with more build option including testing. The point I am making you don't have to worry about it.

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we see our problem, we inadvertently checked a box at ss2005 installation time that controls whether or not development tools (includes VS2005) will also be installed. To make things worse, we came across an article that suggested one has no choice regarding VS2005 installation when installing the DB.