Vendor: OnDemand Software
Recommended for: Installation Package Developers
Type: Licensing

Version 1.0 of the OnDemand Software MSI Toolkit contains eight (8) individual tools as well as some knowledgebase content. The tools are all command line driven. These tools and content are very valuable and perfect for any administrator or developer that is involved in MSI packaging.

[Description from vendor]
The tools included are:

• OLEDir – allows you to peer inside an MSI/MSM file or any other OLE structured storage file, allowing you to investigate the form and content of these files. It includes specific support for MSI/MSM files, allowing you to easily dump portions of the control information describing the databases that is otherwise difficult to view directly and is unique to those files.
• MSIInfo – can be used to enumerate installed applications, feature and component states, and installed patches for Windows Installer applications. Much of the same information is available with such tools as MSISpy (in the SDK), but not in command line form.
• MSPInfo – can be used to display information about a Windows Installer patch (MSP) file, including basic patch information, and will allow the components of the patch (transforms and cabinets) to be extracted for viewing.
• CopyMSI – can be used to copy an MSI file, and will automatically copy any external cabinets and files, maintaining the necessary folder structure and file metadata for any files that are copied.
• DiffMSI – shows the differences between two MSI/MSM files.
• MMMerge – can be used to automate the process of merging merged modules into an MSI file. Configurable merge modules (new with MSI 2.0) are supported.
• MMCache – will generate, manage and display a cache of merge modules that can be used with either the MMMerge tool, or with the WinINSTALL product. This cache is used to greatly speed-up the process of identifying and merging merge modules.
• MSQL – provides a command line interface for direct SQL access to MSI/MSM files, and is designed to be familiar to anyone used to the ISQL/OSQL/TSQL, etc. tools used for “real” databases. The full range of Windows installer SQL is supported, including DDL. Like other SQL tools it emulates, this is a very powerful tool.