Chapter 9. Reading SQL Server Data from the Internet

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

• Connect securely to SQL Server from an external network by using the TCP/IP communication protocol

• Connect securely to SQL Server from an external network by using the HTTP communication protocol

• Securely access the data stored in a SQL Server database from a remote location without having to expose SQL Server to outside networks

Applications might require access to SQL Server through the Internet for a variety of reasons. For example, a client application running in a remote location outside the Local Area Network (LAN) might access SQL Server through the Internet. An application written in a different platform with no support for ODBC or OLE DB providers might use HTTP as a communication channel to SQL Server.

Depending on the network protocol used by the calling application, you can choose to expose SQL Server through the TCP/IP protocol or the HTTP protocol. Each approach is configured in a different way in SQL Server and provides different capabilities to calling applications.

If you expose SQL Server to external networks, you must be extra careful when deciding what to make available to the outside callers, and you must implement the necessary security infrastructure to avoid creating a security breach in the database system.

Another approach, instead of exposing SQL Server itself, is to provide access through a middle-tier component that listens on the required network port and forwards the calls to SQL Server, thereby minimizing the risk of compromising the database.