Database Engine Concepts

The Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Database Engine is a service for storing and processing data in either a relational (tabular) format or as XML documents. The links in the following table go to the main documentation sections for the Database Engine.

Database Engine Tasks

The order of the topics in the Database Engine documentation follows the main sequence of tasks used to implement a system that uses the Database Engine for data storage:

• Design and create a database to hold the relational tables or XML documents required by the system.

• Implement systems to access and change the data stored in the database. This includes implementing Web sites or applications that work with the data, and also building procedures that use the SQL Server tools and utilities to work with the data.

• Deploy the implemented systems to the organization or customers.

• Provide daily administration support to optimize the performance of the database.

Database Engine Documentation

• Building Database Projects by Using SQL Server Management Studio
  Describes using projects and solutions to manage Database Engine objects.

• Designing and Implementing Structured Storage (Database Engine)
  Describes the concepts behind successfully designing and creating databases with the Database Engine.

• Accessing and Changing Database Data
  Explains the concepts behind providing access to and modifying data in a database.

• Designing and Implementing Semistructured Storage (Database Engine)
  Explains how the Database Engine provides storage for and access to XML data in a database.

• Native XML Web Services Concepts
  Explains how the Database Engine works with Windows Server 2003 to receive HTTP SOAP requests without using a middle-tier Internet Information Services (IIS) server.

• Security and Protection (Database Engine)
  Includes information about how to help secure data and log files.

• International Considerations for Databases and Database Engine Applications
  Explains how the Database Engine supports the storage and manipulation of multilingual data.

• Administration (Database Engine)
  Describes the management and configuration processes that are required to successfully administer the Database Engine.

• Troubleshooting (Database Engine)
  Provides assistance relative to troubleshooting the Database Engine.

• Planning and Architecture (Database Engine)
  Describes how files and databases are organized and considerations for designing SQL Server solutions.

• Designing and Implementing FILESTREAM Storage
  Describes how to use FILESTREAMS in SQL Server 2008–based applications to store unstructured data, such as documents and images, on the file system.