Installing MS SQL Server Express 2017 with Inno Installer

I'm desperately trying to install SQL Server Express 2017 with Inno Installer. Within my installer I include the extracted installer files. That means that I already executed the common SQLEXPR_x64_ENU.exe, to avoid the "extract-temp-folder" prompt while my installer is running.

I execute the following on the cmd:

{somePath}\SQLEXPR_x64_ENU\setup.exe /ACTION=Install /Q /SKIPRULES=RebootRequiredCheck /SUPPRESSPRIVACYSTATEMENTNOTICE=1 /IAcceptSQLServerLicenseTerms=1 /SECURITYMODE=SQL /SAPWD=secretPW /ConfigurationFile=ConfigurationFileExpr.ini

The install succeeds.

But when I do the same within my InnoInstaller-File like this:

... [Files] Source: "SQLEXPR_x64_ENU\*"; DestDir: "{tmp}\SQLEXPR_x64_ENU"; Check: not SQLExpress_Check; Flags: recursesubdirs; [Run] Filename: "{tmp}\SQLEXPR_x64_ENU\setup.exe"; Description: "Installing SQL Server Express 2017..."; StatusMsg: "Installing SQL Server Express 2017..."; \ Parameters: "/ACTION=Install /Q /SKIPRULES=RebootRequiredCheck /SUPPRESSPRIVACYSTATEMENTNOTICE=1 /IAcceptSQLServerLicenseTerms=1 /SECURITYMODE=SQL /SAPWD=secretPW /ConfigurationFile=ConfigurationFileExpr.ini"; Check: not SQLExpress_Check; Flags: runascurrentuser; ...

SQL Installer fails with the following error:

Exception type: System.MissingMethodException Message: Method not found: 'Void Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.RoleService.Initialize(Microsoft.SQL.Chainer.Product.RolesType)'. HResult : 0x80131513 Data: DisableWatson = true Stack: at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.BootstrapExtension.InitializeRoleServiceAction.ExecuteAction(String actionId) at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.Action.Execute(String actionId, TextWriter errorStream) at Microsoft.SqlServer.Setup.Chainer.Workflow.ActionInvocation.<>c__DisplayClasse.<ExecuteActionWithRetryHelper>b__b() at Microsoft.SqlServer.Setup.Chainer.Workflow.ActionInvocation.ExecuteActionHelper(ActionWorker workerDelegate)

Is this a permission error? I do not have a clue. On cmd-shell it works, but not on InnoInstaller.

Thanks in advance for your efforts and have a nice day.

Solution for me was provided by Gavin Lambert on the Inno Setup Forum :

If you're [installing from the directory of unpacked files], you need to use {sd}\shortname as the DestDir (usually combined with deleteafterinstall) -- you can't put the files in {tmp} or any similar path as the files are very deeply nested and the db installer ends up failing to access some files because the path is too long.