This document provides an overview of an upcoming MSDN event focused on building applications with SQL Server 2008. The event will cover SQL Server spatial support, T-SQL enhancements, Visual Studio integration, SQL CLR, and Reporting Services. Attendees should have experience with SQL Server database development, .NET application development, and Visual Studio 2008. The agenda includes presentations on new SQL Server 2008 features and enhancements, as well as demonstrations.

1. MSDN Events
Autumn, 2008
Building Applications with SQL
Server 2008

2. What Will We Cover?
• SQL Server Spatial support
• T-SQL Enhancements
• Visual Studio integration
• SQL CLR
• Reporting Services

3. Helpful Experience
• SQL Server database development
• .NET Framework application development
• Visual Studio 2008
• Windows Presentation Foundation
• ASP.NET
• Microsoft Virtual Earth
• OpenGIS

4. Agenda
• SQL Server 2008
– New features
– Enhancements
– Programming
• Demos!

5. What is Spatial Data?
• Spatial data represents locations
– Which properties overlap?
– Which roads intersect property or each other?
– How many stores/restaurants/houses/car dealerships are
located within a geographical area?
• Represented by two primary data types
– Geometry: small areas where curvature of the Earth isn’t so
relevant when making calculations
• Flat Earth model
• X, Y coordinates
– Geography: large areas where the curvature of the Earth does
matter when making calculations
• Round Earth model
• Latitude and longitude coordinates

6. What is Spatial Data?
• You query for location information as you would any SQL
Server data type
– Data types dictated by the OpenGIS standard
– Calculations easy to perform (“black box”)

7. Representing Spatial Data
• Geospatial data in SQL Server
– Stored in a proprietary binary format
– Can be input using simple text
• Parse methods exist to convert the text into the internal storage
format
– Represents areas using
• Points
• Linestrings
• Polygons
• MultiPoints
• MultiLinestrings
• MultiPolygons
• GeomCollections

8. Representing Spatial Data
• Polygonal areas must be defined in counter-clockwise
direction
– Interior areas (“holes”) must be defined in clockwise direction
• Inherently support various calculations and methods
– Spatial Reference ID (SRID) identifies ellipsoid used (flat/round,
meters/feet)
– Only instances with like SRID can be directly compared

9. Geographical Data
• GEOGRAPHY type has additional requirements
– Coordinate order is longitude/latitude
– A single GEOGRAPHY object cannot span more than a logical
hemisphere
• Will throw exceptions if too large

10. Demo
SQL Server Geospatial and
Virtual Earth

11. Enhancements to T-SQL
• Table Value Parameters
• New Date/Time types
• Time zone awareness
• New MERGE keyword
• New shorthand notation

12. Table Value Parameters
• TVPs are used to insert/update multiple tables at one
time
– Multiple tables can be inserted/updated within a single
transaction
– MARS-like capability for writing
• ADO.NET updated to include support
– New parameter type: SqlDbType.Structured

13. Dates and Time
• Several new types added
– datetime2
– date
– time
– datetimeoffset
• New functions added
– CONVERT
– SYS* Functions
– DATEDIFF

14. MERGE
• MERGE allows for insert, update, delete with one
keyword
– Merge two tables, source and target
– Target table will be modified based on contents of source table
• Syntax and use can be complex!
– Be sure to review SQL Server Books Online for more details

15. Shorthand Notation
• Allows you to declare a variable and assign a value in
one line of code
– More like contemporary programming languages, C# or Visual
Basic .NET

16. Demo
T-SQL Enhancements

17. Visual Studio Integration
• Enhanced project types
– Analysis Services
– Reporting Services
• Entity Framework

18. Entity Framework
• Essentially an OR/M tool
• Models relational data using entities
– Can model any relational data source for data access (provider
may be required)
– Application-specific domain
– You can work at a higher level of abstraction
– Appropriate amount of information returned
– Lazy-loaded
• What is an entity?
– Structurally like an object
• Has scalars and relationships
• Has identity
– Represent nouns in your application domain

19. Demo
Visual Studio Integration

20. SQL CLR
• SQL Server has the ability to execute managed code
– Stored procedures
– Functions
– Aggregates
– Table value functions
– User-defined types
– Triggers
• Visual Studio can manage both creation and deployment
• SQL CLR is “off by default” for security reasons
• Can be remotely debugged
• With great power comes great responsibility
– Your code executes in the SQL Server processing stream

21. Programming SQL CLR
• Visual Studio provides templates for the various SQL
CLR constructs
– Uses Database project type
– Simply “add new” like any other item you might add
• Metadata controls SQL Server behavior
– Attributes control programmatical type
• Microsoft.SqlServer.Server.SqlProcedure
• Microsoft.SqlServer.Server.SqlFunction
• Microsoft.SqlServer.Server.SqlUserDefinedAggregate
• Microsoft.SqlServer.Server.SqlTrigger
• Microsoft.SqlServer.Server.SqlUserDefinedType

22. Programming SQL CLR
• You write your logic using a .NET-supported language
• You work with other objects in the
Microsoft.SqlServer.Server namespace to retrieve and
return data
• Very ADO.NET-like, but not ADO.NET
• Can be assigned security levels
– Safe, External, Unsafe

23. Demo
SQL CLR

24. Reporting Services
• SQL Server standard for reporting
– Managed enterprise reporting
– Ad-hoc reporting
– Embedded reporting
– Web-based reporting
• Reports can be formatted in a variety of ways
– PDF
– Word 2007
– HTML
• Reports are exposed via a Web Service
– Can be integrated with SharePoint
– Dependency on IIS removed (uses http.sys)

25. Programming Reports
• Strong designer and wizard support in Visual Studio
• Enhanced configuration and administration tool
• Design reports in Visual Studio 2008 SP1
– Query for data
– Assign query results to report
– Design report style
• Colors
• Fonts
– Deploy report
• Web Service
• SharePoint Services
• Wizard available for initial report design

26. Demo
Reporting Services

27. For More Information
• Visit MSDN at msdn.microsoft.com

28. Microsoft Press Publications
For the latest titles, visit
www.microsoft.com/learning/books/devtools

29. Non-Microsoft Publications
These books can be found and purchased at
all major book stores and online retailers

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