Getting to Know SQL Server 2000
| Microsoft's database server is back and upgraded! It is creating huge amounts of excitement and interest throughout the database market. Before SQL Server had been in conjunction with Sybase, it was very unpopular and other database servers ruled the market. Now, with much development, SQL Server is one of the most powerful and robust servers available. Features of SQL Server
These are just some of the many reasons why SQL Server has earned respect:
The SQL Server 2000 database engine includes integrated XML support. It also has features it needs to operate as the data storage component of the largest web sites. The SQL Server 2000 programming model is integrated with the Windows architecture for web application development, and SQL Server 2000 supports English Query and the Microsoft Search Service to allow for user -friendly queries and powerful search capabilities in web applications. The same database engine can be used across platforms ranging from laptop computers running Microsoft Windows 98 through multiprocessor servers running Microsoft Windows 2000 Data Center. SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition supports features such as federated servers, indexed views, and large memory support that enable it to scale to the performance levels required by the largest web sites. The SQL Server 2000 database engine supports features required by demanding environments. The database engine protects integrity while minimizing overhead. The engine is capable of managing thousands of users concurrently modifying the database. SQL Server 2000 distributed queries enable you to reference data from multiple sources as if it were a part of a single SQL Server 2000 database. Distributed transaction support protects the integrity of any updates of the data dispersed on multiple sources. Replication enables you to maintain multiple copies of data, while also ensuring synchronization. SQL Server 2000 includes a complete set of administrative and development tools. SQL Server 2000 also supports a standards-based programming model, making the use of SQL Server databases and data warehouses a seamless part of building powerful systems. These features enable you to rapidly deliver SQL Server applications that can be implemented with a minimum of installation and administrative overhead. SQL Server 2000 includes tools for extracting and analyzing summary data for online analytical processing. SQL Server also includes tools for visually designing databases and analyzing data using English-based questions. New Features in SQL Server 2000A great deal more functionality has been added to SQL Server in this 2000 release. Many of the features are extremely useful in the stages of design and implementation of databases. The features listed and described in this section represent the highlights of the new features most commonly of interest to developers and a necessity in exam preparation.
EXAM TIP Exam Questions about the New Features You can expect to have one or more exam questions for each feature in the list of New Features. We have broken down the complete list of new features in SQL Server 2000 and have focused in on those you can expect on the exam. Those new features not likely to be seen on the exam have been omitted from this list. The relational database engine can return data as Extensible Markup Language (XML) documents. Additionally, XML can also be used to insert, update, and delete values in the database. XML is covered fully in Chapter 5, "Advanced Data Retrieval and Modification." SQL Server 2000 supports distributed partitioned views that enable you to divide tables horizontally and place the data on multiple servers. A group of federated database servers can support the data storage requirements of the largest web sites and enterprise systems. Partitioned views are covered fully in Chapter 7, "Working with Views." You can extend the programmability of SQL Server by creating your own Transact -SQL (T-SQL) functions. T-SQL is an extension of the language defined by SQL standards and the basis for programming in SQL Server. A user-defined function can return either a scalar value or a table. User-Defined Functions (UDFs) are covered fully in Chapter 9, "Stored Procedures and User-Defined Functions." Indexed views can significantly improve the performance of an application where queries frequently perform certain joins or aggregations. An indexed view provides for a technique where fast access to data is enabled (indexing), associated with data display definitions (views), and where the result set of the view is materialized and stored and indexed in the database. Indexed views are covered fully in Chapter 7. SQL Server 2000 introduces three new data types ” bigint , sql_variant , and table ”that are supported for variables and are the return types for user-defined functions. Data Types are covered in full in Chapter 2, "Data Modeling." INSTEAD OF triggers are executed rather than the triggering action (for example, INSERT , UPDATE , DELETE ). They can also be defined on views, in which case they greatly extend the types of updates a view can support. AFTER triggers fire after the triggering action. SQL Server 2000 introduces the capability to specify which AFTER triggers fire first and last. Triggers are covered fully in Chapter 8, "Constraints, Defaults, and Triggers." Cascading actions enable you to control the actions SQL Server 2000 takes when deleting or changing data. If you attempt to update or delete a key to which existing foreign keys point, cascading actions will dictate the effects on the associated records. This is controlled by the new ON DELETE and ON UPDATE clauses in the REFERENCES clause of the CREATE TABLE and ALTER TABLE statements. Cascading Referential Integrity is covered fully in Chapter 3, "Physical Database Design." SQL Server 2000 includes support for most collations supported in earlier versions of SQL Server, and introduces a new set of collations based on Windows collations. You can now specify collations at the database level or at the column level. Collations are covered fully in Chapter 3, "Physical Database Design." SQL Server 2000 supports running multiple instances of the relational database engine on the same computer. Each computer can run one instance of the relational database engine from SQL Server version 6.5 or 7.0, along with one or more instances of the database engine from SQL Server 2000. Connecting to Multiple Instances of SQL Server is covered fully in Chapter 2, "Data Modeling." SQL Server 2000 can partition tables horizontally across several servers, and define a distributed partitioned view on each member server so that it appears as if a full copy of the original table is stored on each server. Groups of servers running SQL Server that cooperate in this type of partitioning are called federations of servers. Partitioned views are covered fully in Chapter 7. With all this fantastic new functionality, SQL Server 2000 has reached a level where it provides truly superior software value and performance. SQL Server Implementation RequirementsThe exam is geared for the Enterprise Version of Microsoft SQL Server 2000 edition, which is used as a production database server. It supports all features available in SQL Server 2000 and scales to the performance levels required to support the largest web sites and enterprise online transaction processing (OLTP) and data warehousing systems. RequirementsA couple of things are required before you can set up your SQL Server. Internet Explorer 4.01 is needed solely for the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and to view Help topics in Books Online. Certain hardware requirements must be met before SQL Server can be installed, some of which are listed in the next section. After making sure all the prerequisites are taken care of, you can then start the Setup Wizard by inserting the CD and clicking on Install SQL Server Components . The following hardware is needed to install the Enterprise version of SQL Server 2000. Minimum Hardware Requirements
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