Chapter 2. Creating Database Objects

Terms you'll need to understand:

Table

View

Trigger

Function

User-defined function (UDF)

Table-valued function

Scalar-valued function

Aggregate

Stored procedure

Constraint

Index

Clustered index

Nonclustered index

Type and user-defined type (UDT)

Full-text search

Full-text index

Full-text catalog

Cascading action

Data Manipulation Language (DML)

Data Definition Language (DDL)

Common language runtime (CLR)

Partitioning

Unique index

Identity column

Assembly

Rule

Default

Techniques you'll need to master:

Defining database objects

Viewing and creating objects using SQL Server Management Studio

Creating objects using Transact-SQL

Chapter 1, "Installing and Configuring SQL Server 2005," describes the server installation and setup. Installation and setup are major SQL Server 2005 events. However, the 70-431 exam doesn't focus much on installation and setup. It does, however, focus on objects, which are the key components of databases. This chapter covers the objects stored on the server, which are, as noted, a meaty part of the 70-431 exam.

Many different types of objects are maintained in a SQL Server environment. Objects are a complex topic and can be confusing if you try to approach everything at once. For this reason, this chapter divides the topic into two separate categories: basic database objects and programmability objects.

First this chapter looks at the whats and hows of database objects. It simply looks at how to define and create objects, without delving too deeply into the reasons behind object selection and implementation. Chapter 3, "Implementing Database Objects," discusses objects, associates object selection with specific applications, covers some of the coding aspects behind the Transact-SQL (T-SQL) language and tasks, and looks more into the wheres, whens, and whys of objects.

Exam Alert

Expect to see questions about not only individual objects but also the interactions between objects. Often, alterations of objects have a chain reaction and affect other objects. At other times, you might need to disable some objects to allow changes to others.