Summary

The .NET integration with SQL Server 2005 is one of the top developer productivity features introduced in SQL Server 2005. It allows you to write stored procedures, functions, and triggers, using any .NET managed language, such as C# or Visual Basic .NET. In addition, you can create your own type or aggregate by using the .NET Framework. SQL Server 2005 does everything possible to ensure that SQLCLR code does not compromise the reliability and safety of the database engine. You have complete control over enabling or disabling the running of .NET code inside SQL Server and determining what a managed module can and cannot do.

This chapter starts with an overview of the .NET Framework and the CLR. Next, you learned about CLR hosting in SQL Server 2005 and the integration design goals. The examples provided illustrate how to write procedures and functions by using C# and calling them from a T-SQL script. You also saw how to trace and track SQLCLR activity by using catalog views, DMVs, Profiler, and Performance Monitor.

Chapter 12, "SQL Server Integration Services Overview," shifts the focus from programming features to business intelligence features and discusses the first step in the BI process: integrating data by using SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS; formerly known as Data Transformation Services [DTS]).