Microsoft SQL Server continues to set the standard for databases running on Microsoft Windows NTŪ in the areas of performance, ease of use, cost of ownership, and integration with the operating system. Although Microsoft and Sybase SQL Server share a common historical development source, the Microsoft product offers benefits over Sybase SQL Server. 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 recently below $70/tpmC. 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 ease-of-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 or page an administrator, or even to start corrective actions in response to a specific event, such as when a transaction log fills to a specified level or if the DBMS writes an error message to its error log.
An administrator can easily 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, which makes 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 of the 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.
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 simple tool for executing Transact-SQL and viewing the results on-screen immediately.
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.
Microsoft SQL Server is easy to administer. Functions such as replication, configuration, and buffer management, among others, are easier to do in a Microsoft SQL Server. All database administration is easily done using SQL Enterprise Manager. The SQL Distributed Management Objects (based on OLE Automation) can be used to quickly build customized database administration applications.
The SQL Server Web Assistant, combined with the Internet Data Connector (IDC), provides users with the facility to publish HTML pages from and maintain data in a SQL Server. This includes both a "push" feature to generate HTML whenever data changes and a "pull" feature to use current SQL Server data when a page is accessed.
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 on 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.