Completed & Integrated Platform

Minimize the initial cost of purchasing database software by choosing the right edition for current needs, and reduce total-cost-of-ownership with self-managing capabilities and cost-saving features.

Future-proof database platform investments

• Choose the SQL Server edition that best fits current needs and budget.

• Easily migrate if needs change with compatibility across editions.

• Offer a path of growth and range of service levels to customers.

• Save costs with a standard database platform for all types and sizes of solutions.

• Use the same tools and scripts to provision, configure, and manage database server instances across the data center.

Automate maintenance tasks

• Create scheduled tasks and operator alerts.

• Define a maintenance plan for all SQL Server instances in the data center by using the SQL Server Agent.

• Manage tasks and alerts centrally, making it easy to ensure that critical tasks are performed consistently for all customer databases.

• Use Windows PowerShell to automate administrative tasks for Windows, Internet Information Services, and SQL Server within a single scripting environment.

Manage by intent

• Proactively define desired configuration settings for servers, databases, and other SQL Server objects with policy-based management.

• Assign policies to multiple servers and databases, and validate or enforce them automatically.

• Define policies to restrict how customers change or apply configuration settings.

Optimize resource usage

• Consolidate hardware without compromising resource utilization.

• Reduce storage costs while increasing input/output performance with data compression support.

• Restrict hardware resources available to specific workloads by using Resource Governor in the Enterprise edition.

• Ensure that no single customer database can monopolize CPU and memory resources, providing predictable performance even on shared hardware.

Take advantage of built-in tools

• Avoid having to create custom management interfaces by using web-based management utilities included with SQL Server.

• Offer management utilities as part of a hosting package, or enable customers to connect their hosted SQL Server instance with a local management tool such as SQL Server Management Studio.

Capture more opportunities by highlighting value-add capabilities in SQL Server and by creating innovative managed services that build on those capabilities.

Deliver new, revenue-generating managed services

• Create business intelligence–as-a-service offerings by using Integration Services, Analysis Services, and Reporting Services in SQL Server.

• Partner with IT outsourcers to target vertical-industry opportunities, such as in healthcare, e-commerce, and call centers.

• Support customer plans for business continuity and disaster recovery.

Offer database server management services

• Provide database configuration and management services to customers by using automated administration and policy-based management capabilities in SQL Server.

• Appeal to customers who want a simple, low-overhead hosting solution with minimal maintenance burden.

Optimize response time with replication services

• Accommodate geographically distributed web solutions.

• Implement distributed copies of data across multiple sites to optimize response time or co-locate databases with localized data.

Support mission-critical applications

• Provide high availability with SQL Server technologies like failover clustering and database mirroring.

• Enhance data recoverability with automated backup operations and online restore capabilities.

• Offer reassurance to customers with high security requirements through enterprise-level security features like transparent database encryption and advanced auditing.

Provide geospatial data services

• Support customers who want to build geospatial data solutions.

• Combine spatial data support in SQL Server with free mapping services such as Bing Maps.

Enhance Business Intelligence

• Take advantage of built-in business intelligence capabilities in SQL Server, including reporting, multidimensional analysis, and data mining.

• Enable customers to derive more insight from their data through comprehensive reporting and analysis services that are built on Reporting Services and Analysis Services.

Appeal to a wider group of web developers. Benefit from continued investments in the Microsoft Web Platform, including PHP support and the Microsoft Web Platform Installer.

Draw in ASP.NET developers

• Offer developers close integration between SQL Server and Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express.

• Enable developers to easily create, test, debug, and deploy web applications that use a SQL Server database.

Support PHP developers

• Provide data access support for PHP applications with the SQL Server Driver for PHP.

• Take advantage of migration guidance and tools from Microsoft to help developers move their applications onto SQL Server.

• Equip developers with a rich set of PHP development features in Microsoft Expression Web 2, including code coloring, snippets, IntelliSense, and a PHP development server.