Summary

There is more to a successful relational database product than the database engine. The client tools and the various services and components contribute the the overall capabilities of SQL Server 2000 that sets Microsoft's database apart from its competitors . This chapter outlined the various features and components that make up the Microsoft SQL Server product and provided an overview of how those pieces can be used. More details to help you get the most from these components are contained in subsequent chapters in this book.

In the next chapter, "SQL Server 2000 Environments and Editions," you will learn about the different editions of SQL Server, and how you can choose the best version for your application.