SQL-DMF Applications

There are three main classes of applications that use SQL-DMF. These applications provide the interfaces for users managing Microsoft® SQL Server™.

SQL Server Enterprise Manager

Microsoft Management Console (MMC) provides a common environment for managing several types of server software on a Microsoft Windows® network. Individual server applications, such as SQL Server, provide components called snap-ins that expose the management functions of the application to MMC users. SQL Server Enterprise Manager is the SQL Server MMC snap-in component. SQL Server Enterprise Manager supplies the primary interface for users who are administering copies of SQL Server on the network.

DCOM applications and Active Server Pages

The SQL-DMO objects can be incorporated as either remote or local objects in DCOM applications and Web applications, such as in Active Server Pages (ASP).

Applications and ISV tools

Applications, written either in-house or by independent software vendors (ISV), can use the SQL-DMF APIs to administer and configure SQL Server. This allows applications to shield the administration of SQL Server from their users if the application has chosen to embed SQL Server to store its data. ISVs who produce tools for managing server applications also use the SQL-DMF APIs to build features for managing SQL Server in their tools.