| The main aim of this book is to show you each of the different types of .NET assemblies now possible within SQL Server 2005. This is a major leap in technology for developers and database administrators alike. Knowing when, how, and why to use this technology is crucial in continuing to offer stable and efficient database servers and database solutions.
By the end of this book, you will not only be competent in building assemblies, but also know which assemblies are safe for your server, what expansions each can give your server, and how you can build and deploy your own assemblies.
The ability to run .NET code in the database is arguably the most exciting development in SQL Server for years. Traditionally, if T-SQL did not meet your needs, then you could write the required logic in either an external business object or an extended stored procedure. With the former, you could often generate unnecessary network traffic, and you also would lose the advantages associated with encapsulating data-centric logic in a single location (i.e., the database). The latter were complex to write and notorious for decreasing the stability of SQL Server. In SQL Server 2005, which hosts the common language runtime (CLR), all this has changed. You can now write modules such as stored procedures, triggers, functions, and custom types in a .NET language instead of T-SQL. These modules have access to powerful .NET Framework classes, so they vastly extend the processing and formatting capabilities available through T-SQL. They also allow access to custom data sources for which there may not be an ODBC driver or OLE DB provider. |