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Title
Install SQL server silently in Compressed setup.exe

Summary

Installing SQL server silently as a setup prerequisite requires extra steps.

Synopsis

If it is desired to install SQL Server silently via a setup prerequisite, an error may be encountered described as a directory path being too long.

Discussion

This error occurs because the setup prerequisite extracts to a long temp path location, then the SQL Server install attempts to extract to another long path location underneath the prerequisite path location. This combination of paths proves to be too long and the SQL server install fails.

You can instead create a .bat file containing code like:

SQLEXPR_x86_ENU.exe /q /x:"C:\temp\SQL"
c:\temp\SQL\setup.exe /Q /ACTION=Install /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS /FEATURES=SQL /INSTANCENAME="instance" /SECURITYMODE=SQL /SAPWD="pass"

You can specify your own directory for the /x: parameter, but it must be short enough so the error doesn't occur again, and it must also be an empty directory.

Then add the .bat file and SQL executable to the files to include for the prerequisite and run the .bat for the Application to Run with the prerequisite.
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Install SQL server silently in Compressed setup.exe