SQL Server 2005 is a comprehensive database platform providing enterprise-class data management with integrated business intelligence (BI) tools. The SQL Server 2005 database engine provides more secure, reliable storage for both relational and structured data, enabling you to build and manage highly available, performant data applications for use in your business. Microsoft has redesigned the SQL Server 2005 product family to better meet the needs of specific customer segments by introducing four new editions: Express, Workgroup, Standard, and Enterprise.
These new editions offer a range of features—from high availability and scalability to advanced business intelligence tools—designed to empower users across an organization. As a low-cost mainstream database, SQL Server 2005 delivers unprecedented value and functionality compared with competitive solutions. For demanding enterprise systems, SQL Server 2005 represents a dramatic step forward, with reduced application downtime, and high scalability and performance, and tight security-related controls. Standard Edition is the data management and analysis platform for small and medium-sized organizations. It includes the essential functionality needed for e-commerce, data warehousing, and line-of-business solutions. Standard Editions integrated business intelligence and high-availability features provide organizations with the essential capabilities needed to support their operations.
Main Features
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.
Fast Recovery. A new faster recovery option improves availability of SQL Server databases. Administrators can reconnect to a recovering database after the transaction log has been rolled forward.
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.
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.
Web Services. With SQL Server 2005 developers can develop Web services in the database tier, making SQL Server a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) listener and providing a new type of data access capability for Web services-centric applications.
Report Builder. Report Builder is a component of SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services that enables business users to create and deploy reports with a user-friendly enterprise data model.
Data Partitioning. Data partitioning is enhanced with native table and index partitioning that enables efficient manageability of large tables and indexes.
Proactive Caching. Proactive Caching combines MOLAP class query performance with real-time data analysis and eliminates the need to maintain OLAP stores. The Proactive Cache transparently synchronizes and maintains an updated copy of the data organized specifically for high-speed querying and for isolating end-users from overloading the relational databases. The structure of the cache is automatically derived from the Universal Data Model (UDM) structure and can be finely tuned to balance performance with latency of data.
System Requirements
Hard Disk
2 GB, a portion of this disk space will be freed after installation if the original download package is removed from the hard drive.
Memory Approximately 350 MB of available hard-disk space for the recommended installation.
Processor 1GHz AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon 64, Intel Xeon with Intel EM64T support, Intel Pentium IV with EM64T support processor.
Platform Windows Server 2003 Standard x64 Edition, Enterprise x64 Edition, or Datacenter x64 Edition with SP 1 or later; Windows XP Professional x64 Edition or later.
Other CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. Super VGA (1,024x768) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 or later ,For Reporting Services, you need Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0 or later, and ASP.NET 2.0 or later.
