SQL Server 2005 comes with a set of technologies capable of enlarging the horizon for database applications. One of the most remarkable technologies is the Service Broker, which makes it possible to build database-intensive distributed applications. The Service Broker implements a set of distributed communication patterns to add messaging capabilities to SQL Server applications. The other remarkable feature is the integration of the Common Language Runtime (CLR) component of the .NET Framework for Microsoft Windows with the SQL Server database engine. This integration enables developers to write procedures, triggers, and functions in any of the CLR languages, particularly Microsoft Visual C# .NET, Microsoft Visual Basic .NET, and Microsoft Visual C++. It also enables developers to extend the database with new types and aggregates.
In this chapter, we first explain how these new features work, and then you will learn how to administer them. We begin with the Service Broker, and then move on to CLR integration.