Designing the Data Tier for Microsoft SQL Server 2005
(Microsoft Training Course: 2783) - 1 day - £600 exc VAT

This clinic provides students with the knowledge and skills to design the data tier for Microsoft SQL Server 2005. It is intended for current professional database developers who have three or more years of on-the-job experience developing SQL Server database solutions in an enterprise environment.

1. Choosing Data Access Technologies and an Object Model
2. Designing an Exception Handling Strategy
3. Choosing a Cursor Strategy
4. Designing Query Strategies Using Multiple Active Result Sets
5. Designing Caching Strategies for Database Applications
6. Designing a Scalable Data Tier for Database Applications

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Module 1: Choosing Data Access Technologies and an Object Model

• Introduction to Data Access Technologies
• Choosing Technologies for Accessing Data
• Building a Data Access Layer
• Designing Data Access from SQL Common Language Runtime (CLR) Objects
• Available Data Object Models for Administering SQL Server

Skills

• Describe a typical database system and the role that data access technologies play in that system.
  
• Select appropriate technologies for accessing data stored in SQL Server 2005.
  
• Explain how to build a data access layer.
  
• Explain how to design SQL Server objects that use the In-Process data provider.
  
• Describe the data object models for administering SQL Server 2005 components and objects.
  

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Module 2: Designing an Exception Handling Strategy

• Exception Types and Their Purposes
• Detecting Exceptions
• Managing Exceptions

Skills

• Describe the various types of exceptions that can be detected in a SQL Server 2005 system and how they affect applications and users.
  
• Design strategies to detect exceptions at the appropriate layer.
  
• Design strategies to log and communicate exceptions according to business requirements.
  

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Module 3: Choosing a Cursor Strategy

• Common Scenarios for Row-based vs. Set-based Operations
• Selecting Appropriate Server-side Cursors
• Selecting Appropriate Client-side Cursors

Skills

• Explain when cursors are appropriate and when they are not.
  
• Explain the considerations for selecting server-side cursors.
  
• Explain the considerations for selecting client-side cursors.
  

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Module 4: Designing Query Strategies Using Multiple Active Result Sets

• Introduction to MARS
• Designing Query Strategies for Multiple Reads
• Designing Query Strategies for Mixing Reads and Writes in the Same Connection
• Concurrency Considerations When Using MARS

Skills

• Explain why MARS is useful, as compared to the set-based execution of SQL Server 2000.
  
• Explain when multiple simultaneous reads can be beneficial for an application, and explain the implications of using this technique.
  
• Explain specific scenarios in which it might be beneficial to use MARS to combine write and read operations.
  
• Explain the locking implications of using MARS and how these locks affect other transactions.
  

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Module 5: Designing Caching Strategies for Database Applications

• Why Caching Is Important
• Data and Query Caching in SQL Server 2005
• Using Caching Technologies Outside of SQL Server
• Custom Caching Techniques

Skills

• Explain why caching is important.
  
• Explain the advantages of using the data and query caching automatically performed by SQL Server 2005.
  
• Explain how caching data outside of SQL Server works and how to manage conflicts that these technologies might produce.
  
• Explain the various ways to cache frequently used data, objects, and results in the appropriate tier to improve performance.
  

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Module 6: Designing a Scalable Data Tier for Database Applications

• Identifying the Need to Scale
• Scaling Database Applications to Avoid Concurrency Contention
• Scaling SQL Server Database Systems
• Scaling Database Applications Using a Service-Oriented Architecture
• Improving Availability and Scalability by Scaling Out Front-End Systems

Skills

• Identify when to scale database applications and what layer to scale.
  
• Select an appropriate technology to avoid concurrency problems and to improve application performance.
  
• Evaluate whether scaling out or scaling up is appropriate for the scalability requirements of your database system.
  
• Explain how to improve middle tier processing by using multiple instances of Web services and object pooling.
  
• Explain how to improve response time and availability by scaling out front-end systems.
  

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Before attending this course, students must have the following pre-requisites:

• Be familiar with SQL Server 2005 features, tools, and technologies.
• Have basic knowledge of the operating system and platform.
• Have basic knowledge of the Microsoft .NET Framework, .NET concepts, and service oriented architecture (SOA).
• Have a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 credential - or equivalent experience.
• In addition, it is recommended, but not required, that students have completed: Course 2778, Writing Queries Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Transact-SQL; Course 2779, Implementing a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database; Course 2780, Maintaining a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database.

After completing this course, students will be able to choose data access technologies and an object model to support an organization's business needs; design an exception handling strategy; choose a cursor strategy; design query strategies using Multiple Active Result sets (MARS); design caching strategies for database applications; design a scalable data tier for database applications.