Database Administration:
Database Mirroring
Extend log shipping capabilities with the database mirroring solution. You will be able to use database mirroring to enhance availability of your SQL Server systems by setting up automatic failover to a standby server.
Online Restore
With SQL Server 2005, database administrators are able to perform a restore operation while an instance of SQL Server is running. Online restore improves the availability of SQL Server because only the data being restored is unavailable; the rest of the database remains online and available.
Dedicated Administrator Connection
SQL Server 2005 provides a dedicated administrator connection that administrators can use to access a running server even if the server is locked or otherwise unavailable. This capability enables administrators to troubleshoot problems on a server by executing diagnostic functions or Transact-SQL statements.
Snapshot Isolation
Snapshot Isolation (SI) level is provided at the database level. With SI, users can access the last committed row using a transitionally consistent view of the database. This capability provides greater scalability.
Data Partitioning
Data partitioning is enhanced with native table and index partitioning that enables efficient manageability of large tables and indexes.
Development:
Hosted CommonLanguage Runtime
With SQL Server 2005 developers can create database objects using familiar languages such as Microsoft Visual C# .NET and Microsoft Visual Basic .NET. Developers can also create two new objects—user-defined types and aggregates.
Native XML Support
Native XML data can be stored, queried, and indexed in a SQL Server database—allowing developers to build new classes of connected applications around Web services and across any platform or device.
Security Enhancements
The security model in SQL Server 2005 separate users from objects, provides fine-grain access, and enables greater control of data access. Additionally, all system tables are implemented as views, providing more control over database system objects.
Transact-SQL Enhancements
SQL Server 2005 provides new language capabilities for developing scalable database applications. These enhancements include error handling, recursive query capabilities, relational operator PIVOT, APPLY, ROW_NUMBER and other row ranking functions, and more.
Reliable Messaging for Asynchronous Applications
Service Broker is a robust messaging infrastructure that provides reliable transactional delivery of critical messages between servers—with the scalable high-performance that is expected with asynchronous queuing.
Visual Studio Integration
Tight integration with Microsoft Visual Studio and the .NET Framework streamlines development and debugging of data-driven applications. Developers can build database objects, such as stored procedures, using any .NET language and can seamlessly debug across .NET and Transact-SQL (TSQL) languages.
Business Intelligence:
Integration Services (SSIS)
SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) is a next generation data integration platform that can integrate data from any source. SSIS provides a scalable and extensible platform that empowers development teams to build, manage, and deploy integration solutions to meet unique integration needs.
Reporting Services
SQL Server Reporting Services is a comprehensive, server-based reporting solution designed to help you author, manage, and deliver both paper-based and interactive Web-based reports.
