Designing the Data Tier for Microsoft SQL Server 2005

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.

Have experience reading user requirements and business-need documents. For example, development project vision/mission statements or business analysis reports.

Have basic knowledge of the Microsoft .NET Framework, .NET concepts, ADO.NET, and service oriented architecture (SOA).

Be familiar with the tasks that application developers typically perform.

Understand Transact-SQL syntax and programming logic.

Have some experience with professional-level database design and know the tradeoffs when backing out of the fully normalized design (denormalization) and designing for performance and business requirements, in addition to being familiar with design models such as Star and Snowflake schemas.

Have basic monitoring and troubleshooting skills. Specifically, how to use SQL Profiler and dynamic management views.

Have basic knowledge of the operating system and platform. That is, how the operating system integrates with the database, what the platform or operating system can do, and how interaction between the operating system and the database works.

Have basic knowledge of application architecture. That is, how applications can be designed in three layers, what applications can do, how interaction between the application and the database works, and how the interaction between the database and the platform or operating system works.

Know how to use a data modeling tool.

Be familiar with SQL Server 2005 features, tools, and technologies.

Have a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 credential, or equivalent experience.

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.

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

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.

Exception Types and Their Purposes

Detecting Exceptions

Managing Exceptions

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.

Common Scenarios for Row-Based vs. Set-Based Operations

Selecting Appropriate Server-Side Cursors

Selecting Appropriate Client-Side Cursors

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.

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

Explain why MARS is useful, as compared to the set-based execution of Microsoft 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.

Why Caching Is Important

Data and Query Caching in SQL Server 2005

Using Caching Technologies Outside of SQL Server

Custom Caching Techniques

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.

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

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.