Designing your Microsoft® SQL Server™ database structure involves creating and maintaining a number of interrelated components.
| Database component | Description |
|---|---|
| Databases | Contain the objects used to represent, manage, and access data. |
| Tables | Store rows of data and define the relationships between multiple tables. |
| Database Diagrams | Represent database objects graphically and enable you to interact with the database without using Transact-SQL. |
| Indexes | Optimize the speed of accessing the data in the table. |
| Views | Provide an alternate way of looking at the data in one or more tables. |
| Stored Procedures | Centralize business rules, tasks, and processes within the server using Transact-SQL programs. |
| Triggers | Centralize business rules, tasks, and processes within the server using special types of stored procedures that are only executed when data in a table is modified. |
Creating a database to serve your business needs requires an understanding of how to design, create, and maintain them to ensure your database performs optimally.