Your additional parameters value needs to be wrapped in single quotes.  Assuming that you want to have both @id and @userid as parameters, replace your line with:

@additional_parameters =...

Use a cursor to get the filename from each row in the table, then import that file within the cursor loop.

I cannot fathom that moving "mostly null" columns to a separate table would be better on any level than leaving the column in the table.  The space savings would be...

The only MSDE limitation shared in Personal edition is the workload governor.  Personal edition does not have the 2gb database size limit, supports SQL Mail and full-text search, and has Analysis...

Yes, you are correct.  Only one table at a time in a session, and only for the life of the session.  So it is certainly not the permanent solution that you...

Yes, that is how to send a file to the web site user.  Also, you will want to make sure that you set the Response.ContentType before you do the BinaryWrite,...

I find that usually such physical breakout into "separate but equal" databases are more difficult than any benefits it provides.  You can provide the best by having one database (or...

I don't have or remember what I used several years ago, but I found these by doing a quick google:

WindowsITPro: How Can I Use Lotus Notes for SQL Mail?

SQL Mail service in SQL Server does not work with SMTP mail servers directly, it works with a MAPI email client application.  I'm sure it's just a design decision at...

You can install Notes client and have it be used for the SQL Mail.  Notes client is MAPI compliant, which is what SQL Mail requires (not an Outlook client).

Ideally, the best option is to have your network admin to create a user account specifically to be used for SQL jobs.  This account would have non-expiring password, not be...

You would handle this within your application. As far as SQL Server is concerned, you are just going to store binary data in a varbinary column.  You will want to...

Assuming that the VB6 program is using ADO, the program will read the file into a byte-array (using stream object is usually the easiest way), then update the recordset column...

Brian Kelly (of this site) wrote several execellent articles on this topic that address your questions.  Start at http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/bkelley/implementing_efs.asp

Hope this helps

Let me add my recomendation for daily full backups.  Then do tlog backups based on what you are willing to lose, and the amount of activity (I have actually had...