Microsoft® SQL Server 2012 Unleashed

Using CLR Triggers

CLR triggers are triggers based on the Microsoft’s Common Language Runtime (CLR). CLR integration, which was added with SQL Server 2005, allows for database objects (such as triggers) to be coded in one of the supported .NET languages, including Visual Basic .NET and C#.

The decision to code triggers and other database objects by using the CLR depends on the type of operations in the trigger. Typically, objects that have heavy computations or require references to objects outside SQL are coded in the CLR. Triggers strictly geared toward database access should continue to be coded in T-SQL.

You can code both DDL and DML triggers by using a supported CLR language. Generally speaking, it is much easier to code a CLR trigger in ...