SQL Server 2008 RC0 and Visual Studio 2008 Interaction

Problem:
You are using Visual Studio 2008 (Standard Edition in my case) and trying to use the data designer and just before you can access the database objects in the SQL Server 2008 RC0 which you have configured with SQLOLEDB you get this error:

An unexpected error has occurred.Error Message:Could not load type 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.DataDesign.SyncDesigner.SyncFacade.SyncManager' from assembly 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.DataDesign.SyncDesigner.DslPackage.Version=9.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a'.

You would get the same message for other products as well,

Oracle 10G Xe
SQL Express 2005

Note with the earlier CTP's I could get away using ODBC and OLE DB Connectiviy as in,

http://hodentek.blogspot.com/2008/04/accessing-sql-server-2008-with-visual.html

http://www.mysorian.com/Packt/DataPagerControl.htm (unpublished)

Solution:

With the RC0 installed I had to do two things to fix this problem.

1.
Get hold of SSCERutime-ENU which is available from:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=68539FAE-CF03-4C3B-AEDA-769CC205FE5F&displaylang=en
[Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP1 Beta and Synchronization Services for ADO.Net v1.0 SP1 Beta]

The Windows installer (MSI) file installs the SQL Server Compact and Synchronization Services for ADO.Net desktop computer runtime components that are required for developing applications in Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Beta and for running SQL Server Compact-based applications on the desktop. The MSI file also installs with SQL Server 2008 CTP and Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Beta

-------Run this file and choose to remove it

2.Get hold of VS90sp1-KB955140-ENU [Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Beta]
from this site:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=CF99C752-1391-4BC3-BABC-86BC0B9E8E5A&displaylang=en
----Run this file

Be prepared for a long wait for this to install. It almost took two hours on a laptop (two times I thought the program hung and cancelled and the third time I let it run while I read The Rig Veda by Wendy O'Flaherty [Penguin Classics] to brush up my religious studies).