Microsoft SQL Server continues to set the standard for databases running on Microsoft Windows NT in the areas of performance, ease of use, cost of ownership, and integration with the operating system. Microsoft SQL Server is a robust, enterprise-ready RDBMS that was the first relational DBMS running on Windows NT Server to have a published TPC-C result of over 9,100 tpmC.
Reasons to migrate to Microsoft SQL Server include:
Microsoft SQL Server license costs are competitive with other databases that run on the Windows NT platform. Microsoft was the first database vendor to publish TPC-C results below $100/tpmC, then $90/tpmC, then $80/tpmC, and has recently published results even below $50/tpmC. Microsoft SQL Server currently has the top ten price/performance rankings for published TPC-C results for databases running on any platform. Microsoft is committed to being the price/performance leader for databases running on the Windows NT platform.
Microsoft SQL Server also lowers operational costs by providing ease-of-use and administration features, thereby reducing the time DBAs must spend in routine administrative tasks and freeing them for more productive work.
Microsoft SQL Server takes advantage of Windows NT features to provide improved functionality and ease-of-use features. These include:
Microsoft SQL Server can be set up to send e-mail messages, page an administrator, or even to start corrective actions in response to a specific event, such as when the space used in a database reaches a specified level or if the DBMS writes an error message to its error log.
An administrator can schedule routine administrative functions, such as periodic backups, consistency checks, or the execution of stored procedures at specific days and times. An administrator can also set up a Microsoft SQL Server to automatically restart if it unexpectedly shuts down. Microsoft SQL Server includes a Database Maintenance Plan Wizard, making it easy to set up a full maintenance schedule for your databases.
Microsoft SQL Server can use Windows NT user accounts as its login accounts, reducing the need for a DBA to administer a set of login accounts separate from the Windows NT user accounts. When using Integrated Security, no logins or passwords are sent across the network, enhancing the security of the system. Microsoft SQL Server can also use Windows NT encryption to protect all data sent between SQL Server and its clients.
Microsoft SQL Server adds a series of SQL Server counters in the Windows NT Performance Monitor, allowing a DBA or network administrator to monitor the performance of SQL Server by using the same graphical tool used to monitor Windows NT.
You can write DLLs using the Microsoft SQL Server Open Data Services API functions for extended stored procedures. These DLLs can be called from Transact-SQL using the standard syntax for calling a SQL stored procedure. The power of Microsoft SQL Server stored procedures is greatly extended by the incorporation of C or C++ code.
Microsoft SQL Server also takes full advantage of Windows NT features, such as lightweight threads, to optimize performance. For example, Microsoft SQL Server only uses approximately 50K of memory per connection.
Microsoft SQL Server provides graphical tools for Windows with easy-to-use interfaces to speed both administrative tasks and user interaction with the database:
A powerful tool that presents all SQL Server objects and services in a tree similar to a File Manager or Explorer directory tree. A DBA can easily drill down and administer the objects and the server.
A simple tool for executing Transact-SQL and viewing the results on-screen immediately.
The entire SQL Server documentation set is available online in an easy-to-use tool that offers features such as text and keyword searches of the complete set of manuals, annotations, bookmarks, and an easily navigated table of contents.
Microsoft SQL Server is easy to administer. Functions such as replication, configuration, and buffer management, among others, are easy to do in a Microsoft SQL Server. All database administration for several SQL Servers is easily done using a single SQL Enterprise Manager.
The graphical administration tools combined with the Windows NT-based features such as scheduled events and alerts allow you to set up a lights-out server without needing to hand code command-line scripts.
The database objects used by the SQL Server administrator tools themselves are exposed for use as the SQL Distributed Management Objects (based on OLE Automation). SQL-DMO can be used to quickly build customized database administration applications.
Microsoft SQL Server is tightly integrated with Microsoft's best Internet technologies such as Active Server Pages, ActiveX™ Data Objects, Advanced Database Connector, Microsoft Transaction Server. SQL Server is also tightly integrated with Microsoft's best Internet development and management tools such as the Visual InterDev™ Web Development System, FrontPage® 97 Web Site Creation and Management Tool, and Microsoft Office 97. SQL Server also works seamlessly with leading, third-party development tools.
The SQL Server Web Assistant provides users with an integrated and automated facility to publish HTML pages from and maintain data in a SQL Server.
Microsoft SQL Server has the unique ability to generate data directly into Microsoft Excel 97 files. This eliminates the need to extract data and paste it into spreadsheets. The SQL Workbook Publisher is available for free download from the Microsoft Web site. SQL Workbook Publisher allows Excel 97 users to define Excel workbooks that display SQL Server data and store the workbooks in SQL Server for use by several users.
The Microsoft SQL Server Application Programming Interfaces work with several different languages, such as Visual C++, Visual Basic®, Visual J++™, and C or C++ compilers from third-party vendors. SQL Server provides a full-featured, native Open Database Connectivity driver, supporting any programming tool that uses ODBC to access databases. In addition, Visual C++ and Visual Basic now contain a powerful debugger that allows you to debug Transact-SQL stored procedures using the native debugging tools of the programming environment.