Professional SQL Server 7.0 Development Using SQL-DMO, SQL-NS & DTS

Despite its acronym-laden title, Professional SQL Server 7.0 Development Using SQL-DMO, SQL-NS & DTS is actually a very readable and approachable guide to programming administrative modules for SQL Server 7.0. Aimed at the Visual Basic or C++ programmer, this book delivers a fine guide to the objects, API, and programmer strategies you'll need to do more with Microsoft databases.

Any database administrator uses the powerful SQL Server Enterprise Manager for a variety of database tasks, whether designing new databases, tables, and indexes, or backing-up, replicating, and copying data. The goal of this text is to let you perform these tasks programmatically by using the SQL Distributed Management Framework (DMF). After reading this book, you should be able to write programs that automate common database administration tasks.

This title begins with the objects that Enterprise Manager uses to do its work, known as the SQL Distributed Management Objects (SQL-DMO). The authors walk through the object model here and show off common tasks, such as configuring SQL Server 7.0, creating indexes, and doing backups programmatically. There's also good coverage of role-based security through objects, as well as a later section that explores your options for managing replication in your own programs. While SQL-DMO exposes much of the underlying functionality of Enterprise Manager, the SQL Namespace (SQL-NS) objects let you borrow the actual dialog boxes and wizard screens in custom applications.

A final group of objects, the Data Transformation Services (DTS), lets you copy and transform data between one data source and another. The authors look at both the wizard-based DTS tools and the underlying objects for use within your own code.

Besides a tutorial to some of the tasks that can be automated by using SQL-DMF, this volume doubles as a reference, listing over 60 objects and 1,000 methods. This surprisingly useful and accessible title can get you started thinking on how to simplify database administration in custom programs by using these powerful SQL Server APIs, both in stand-alone applications and ASP-based Web pages. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Introduction to SQL Server 7.0 administration with SQL Distributed Management Framework (SQL-DMF), overview of Windows Distributed interNet Applications Architecture (DNA), SQL Distributed Management Objects (SQL-DMO), starting, stopping and configuring servers; querying database and table information, building indexes, role-based security and user management, backup and restore with SQL-DMO, scheduling jobs with the SQL Agent, SQL Namespace (SQL-NS) objects for accessing Enterprise Manager dialog boxes and wizards, deploying SQL-DMF applications, replication management, Data Transformation Services (DTS): wizards, tools, and programmatic access; installing and using the Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE), tutorial for using SQL-DMO with Visual C++, complete SQL-DMF object and method reference.