SQL Server 7.0 Databases on the Desktop

The same Microsoft® SQL Server™ version 7.0 database engine that supports thousands of concurrent users can also be installed on desktop computers running either Microsoft Windows® 95/98 or Microsoft Windows NT® Workstation. Any user who has a per-seat Client Access License for the Small Business Server, Standard, or Enterprise editions of SQL Server can install a Desktop edition server.

The SQL Server Desktop edition provides desktop users with essentially the same functionality and features as the large servers, except that full-text indexes, the publication of transaction replications, and Microsoft SQL Server OLAP Services are not supported. For more information about the capabilities about the Desktop editions, see SQL Server Editions.

At the same time, the ease-of-use features of the database engine allow it to run in a laptop or desktop environment with minimal configuration tuning from the user.

The programming model is the same for the Desktop edition as it is for SQL Server Small Business Server, Standard, or Enterprise editions. Applications written for any edition of SQL Server run unchanged against the others, except for the features listed above as not supported in the Desktop edition.

The Desktop SQL Server edition offers database services to individual users. The database engine supports optimizations that maximize performance in small systems with small amounts of memory:

• The internal data structures of the database, such as mixed extents, significantly reduce the size of small databases, or databases with many small tables.
• When running at its default configuration settings, SQL Server configures itself dynamically to the current resource usage on the computer without the need for tuning commands from the user.
• Many configuration options from SQL Server 6.5 have been replaced with internal logic in the database engine that configures these options automatically based on load.
• It is no longer necessary to update distribution statistics manually; these are updated automatically.
• Database files grow or shrink automatically depending on the amount of data.

SQL Server 7.0 replication and the ability of the database engine to attach and detach databases offers a good solution for mobile and disconnected users with laptops. These users can periodically connect to a regional or departmental server to resynchronize their database information with the main database through replication. Alternatively, a database can be placed on a compact disc and sent to remote users, where they can simply attach it to their server to get the latest information.