Professional SQL Server™ 2005 Programming

Appendix C. Getting Service

SQL Server is a wildly complex product. Putting it that way is somewhat at odds with the notion that it is one of the easiest Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMSs) to use. But, while using the basic functionality comes much easier than it does with most database management systems, SQL Server has all sorts of "extras," and some of these extras are almost full products into themselves. So, what this appendix is about is outlining each of the additional services SQL Server provides, but that, for whatever reason, is not covered in its own chapter in the book.

In this appendix, we'll take a look at:

• Analysis Services—This started as a robust Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) engine, but has grown into much more. Data mining—also often sold by other companies as a standalone product—is also provided within Analysis Services.

• Notification Services—This is an event-monitoring and notification service. You can have "subscribers" receive information automatically when events they have subscribed to occur. The service monitors events you have defined and checks them against subscriptions. If there is a match, it can notify the subscriber using one of a few different delivery methods (such as e-mail or text message).

• Service Broker—You can think of this as something of a replacement for the Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ). Since the Service Broker is built into the core SQL Server, you do not have the issues that used to exist mixing two different server ...