SQL Server 6.5 administration has been enhanced, and it includes many new features, including:
SQL Server 6.5 maintains a history of database backups. It also supports point-in-time recovery, which enables transaction logs to be recovered through a specific date and time. And now individual tables can be backed up and restored (using table dump and load).
In just a few simple steps in the Database Maintenance Plan Wizard, you can automatically schedule daily or weekly routine database maintenance tasks, including database and transaction log backups, database consistency checks, and statistics updates.
The Database Maintenance Plan Wizard can be run from SQL Enterprise Manager, or you can run the sqlmaint command-line utility. You can even generate a report about database maintenance that can be e-mailed to a designated mail account.
With the new SQL Server Web Assistant, you can format data in hypertext markup language (HTML) and automatically deliver SQL Server data to a web server. The SQL Server Web Assistant provides a graphical user interface that simplifies the task of converting data to HTML and of creating interactive, database-driven web sites with automated information retrieval. This functionality is also available through the sp_makewebtask, sp_runwebtask, and sp_dropwebtask stored procedures.
SQL Trace provides a new way to track server activity. With SQL Trace, you can now view statements or remote procedure calls that are sent to any Microsoft SQL Server, and you can create filters to monitor specific user activity, applications, or clients. SQL Trace information can be saved in a Transact-SQL® script or as an activity log.
Fallback support is now available, and enables a separate computer running SQL Server to automatically assume control of the crucial databases and devices of a primary server that is experiencing hardware or software failure. A server designated as the fallback server can simultaneously hold databases from many primary servers and can provide active fallback support for three of those primary servers at the same time. Fallback support ensures that databases will be accessible even if an equipment failure occurs.
SQL Mail is enhanced in SQL Server 6.5, and SQL Mail is now compatible with Microsoft® Exchange Server. Other enhancements include the ability to stop and start SQL Mail from the Server Manager window of SQL Enterprise Manager, the ability to assign a mail login name and password from SQL Enterprise Manager, and the ability to set SQL Mail to impersonate a client for security purposes.
In addition, SQL Server supports custom server configuration using the multi-protocol net-library, which will listen for incoming network conections on named pipes, a TCP/IP port, and an SPX socket. The named pipe name, TCP/IP port, and SPX socket number are normally chosen dynamically. Administrators can configure SQL Server to listen for incoming connections on a particular port by manually editing the appropriate Registry keys.
SQL Performance Monitor integrates the Windows NT Performance Monitor with SQL Server, providing up-to-the-minute activity and performance statistics. SQL Server 6.5 provides new objects and counters that you can use to monitor data returned from SQL Performance Monitor, including new user-defined counters that you can use to monitor values specific to an application.
Communication between Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) clients and SQL Server is enabled in SQL Server 6.5. You can use SNMP applications to monitor the status of SQL Server installations, monitor performance information, access databases, view server and database configuration parameters, and set conditions that initiate an alert message to be sent to workstations that are running SNMP monitoring applications.
The Remote Servers and Logins Manager interface in SQL Enterprise Manager centralizes administrative tasks and makes it easy for one person to manage many servers. You can also set distribution options for replication and configure ODBC subscribers from this interface.
In addition, Transact-SQL statements and stored procedures give you the ability to retrieve information from remote databases that is useful in managing remote servers effectively.