SQL Server Services and Tools

SQL Server is much more than a simple database used to store data. Within the SQL Server data platform are several services that can be used to build any conceivable application within an organization.

Within the core database engine, you will find services to store, manipulate, and backup and restore data.

The following are the services in SQL Server 2008

Service Broker

SQL Server Integration Services

SQL Server Reporting Services

SQL Server Analysis Services

For a detailed discussion of each feature available within the next modules..!

SQL Server Tools:

Microsoft SQL Server includes a complete set of graphical tools and command line utilities that allow users, programmers, and administrators to increase their productivity. Below are the list of tools available in SQL Server.

SQL Server Management Studio:

Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio is a powerful and flexible tool for database administrators and developers. Hosted inside Microsoft SQL Server, it brings graphical tools for database management together with a rich development environment.

SQLCMD Utility:

You can use the SQLCMD utility, a Microsoft Win32 command prompt utility, to run ad hoc T-SQL statements and scripts. To use SQLCMD interactively, or to build script files that you can run by using SQLCMD, you must understand T-SQL.

In the SQLCMD environment, you can interactively enter T-SQL statements the same way you enter them when you are working at the command prompt. The results are displayed in the command prompt window, unless you choose otherwise.

You can submit a SQLCMD job either by specifying a single T-SQL statement to execute or by pointing the utility to a script file that contains T-SQL statements to execute. SQLCMD can connect to earlier versions of SQL Server.

SQL Server Profiler:

Microsoft SQL Server Profiler is a graphical user interface to SQL Trace for monitoring an instance of the Database Engine or Analysis Services. You can capture and save data about each event to a file or table to analyze later. For example, you can monitor a production environment to see which stored procedures are affecting performance by executing too slowly.

Database Engine Tuning Advisor:

Database Engine Tuning Advisor analyzes a workload and the physical implementation of one or more databases. A workload is a set of Transact-SQL statements that execute against a database or databases that you want to tune. Database Engine Tuning Advisor uses trace files, trace tables, or Transact-SQL scripts as workload input when tuning databases. You can create Transact-SQL script workloads with the Query Editor in SQL Server Management Studio. You can create trace file and trace table workloads by using the Tuning Template in SQL Server Profiler

 

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