SQL Server version 7.0, which was released in late
1998, offers broad availability of solutions tailored for
business operations, data warehousing, electronic commerce, and
mobile computing. SQL Server 7.0 provides a comprehensive platform
that makes it easy to design, build, manage, and use data
warehousing solutions which enable your organization to make
effective business decisions based on timely and accurate
information.
Microsoft's SQL Server has sold millions of copies since it was
first introduced. SQL Server can run on either Windows NT (4.0 or
later) or Windows 95/98. SQL Server's price/performance records
have allowed many companies to have the power of an RDBMS
(Relational Database Management System) for a fraction of the cost
of just a few years ago. Microsoft continues to develop and market
SQL Server, which should continue this trend for many years.
Genesis
The code base for MS SQL Server (prior to version 7.0) originated
in Sybase SQL Server, and was Microsoft's entry to the
enterprise-level database market, competing against Oracle, IBM,
and, later, Sybase itself. Microsoft, Sybase and Ashton-Tate
originally teamed up to create and market the first version named
SQL Server 1.0 for OS/2 (about 1989) which was essentially the same
as Sybase SQL Server 3.0 on Unix, VMS, etc. Microsoft SQL Server
4.2 was shipped around 1992 (available bundled with Microsoft OS/2
version 1.3). Later Microsoft SQL Server 4.21 for Windows NT was
released at the same time as Windows NT 3.1. Microsoft SQL Server
v6.0 was the first version designed for NT, and did not include any
direction from Sybase.
About the time Windows NT was released, Sybase and Microsoft parted
ways and each pursued their own design and marketing schemes.
Microsoft negotiated exclusive rights to all versions of SQL Server
written for Microsoft operating systems. Later, Sybase changed the
name of its product to Adaptive Server Enterprise to avoid
confusion with Microsoft SQL Server. Until 1994, Microsoft's SQL
Server carried three Sybase copyright notices as an indication of
its origin.
Since parting ways, several revisions have been done
independently. SQL Server 7.0 was a rewrite from the legacy Sybase
code.
The History of SQL Server
IBM invented a computer language back in the 1970s
designed specifically for database queries called SEQUEL,
which stood for Structured English Query Language. Over time the
language has been added to, so that it is not just a language for
queries but can also be used to build databases and manage security
of the database engine. IBM released SEQUEL into the
public domain, where it became known as SQL. Because of this
heritage you can pronounce it as "sequel" or spell it out
as "S-Q-L" when talking about it. Various versions of SQL are used
in today's database engines. Microsoft SQL Server uses a version
called Transact-SQL.
Microsoft initially developed SQL Server (a database product
that understands the SQL language) with Sybase Corporation for use
on the IBM OS/2 platform.
When Microsoft and IBM split, Microsoft abandoned OS/2 in favor of
its new network operating system, Windows NT Advanced Server. At
that point, Microsoft decided to further develop the SQL Server
engine for Windows NT by itself. The resulting product was
Microsoft SQL Server 4.2, which was updated to 4.21.
After Microsoft and Sybase parted ways, Sybase further developed
its database engine to run on Windows NT (Sybase System 10 and now
System 11), and Microsoft developed SQL Server 6.0-then SQL Server
6.5, which also ran on top of Windows NT.
SQL Server 7.0 now runs on Windows NT as well as on Windows 95 and
Windows 98. Although you can run SQL Server 7.0 on a Windows 9x
system, you do not get all the functionality of SQL Server. When
running it on the Windows 9x platform, you lose the capability to
use multiple processors, Windows NT security, NTFS (New
Technology File System) volumes, and much more. We strongly urge
you to use SQL Server 7.0 on Windows NT rather than on Windows 9x.
Windows NT has other advantages as well. The NT platform is
designed to support multiple users. Windows 9x is not designed this
way, and your SQL Server performance degrades rapidly as you add
more users.
SQL Server 7.0 is implemented as a service on either NT
Workstation or NT Server (which makes it run on the server side of
Windows NT) and as an application on Windows 95/98. The included
utilities, such as the SQL Server Enterprise Manager, operate from
the client side of Windows NT Server or NT Workstation. Of course,
just like all other applications on Windows 9x, the tools run as
applications.
A service is an application NT can start when booting
up that adds functionality to the server side of NT. Services also
have a generic application programming interface (API)
that can be controlled programmatically. Threads originating from a
service are automatically given a higher priority than threads
originating from an application.