My Entire day lost, thanks to Microsoft’s design decision about SQL Server 2008.

Today I spend my entire day in learning SQL Server Notification Services 2005.
I was impressed by the feature set supplied by the same product.
After covering the theoretical/conceptual aspect from SQL Server Books Online, following/ struggling with the samples provided with the product. (Quotes, Flight etc)

Then I tried to come up with my own Hello World! kind of thing.
As was interested in using SQL Server Event Provider
(The SQL Server event provider queries a database. The account used by the Windows service or application that runs the event provider must be able to connect to the database and must have SELECT permissions in the database.)
Before writing my own implementation, thought about goggling for the same. And then came to know about the fact that, Microsoft has discontinued the SQL Server Notification Services in SQL Server 2008.
(As per their CTP launch & other expert’s comments)

In that whole exercise my entire day passed away. Hence, I am back to SQL Server Reporting Services once again for resolving the same business problem/need.

Today I was going through the SQL Server 2008 so called “What’s New”.

I came to know about “Change Tracking” and “File Stream Storage”.

Change Tracking as per BOL
SQL Server change tracking allows applications to obtain incremental changes to user tables. Where two-way synchronization is required, change tracking also allows applications to check for data conflicts. With change tracking integrated into SQL Server 2008, developers no longer have to create complicated custom change-tracking solutions.
Prior to the integration of change tracking capabilities into SQL Server, developers often created custom change tracking solutions that used a combination of triggers, timestamp columns, other additional columns, and additional tables. Now, developing synchronization applications is easier and faster.

FILESTREAM Storage as per BOL
FILESTREAM storage enables SQL Server applications to store unstructured data, such as documents and images, on the file system. This enables client applications to leverage the rich streaming APIs and performance of the file system while maintaining transactional consistency between the unstructured data and corresponding structured data.

Both of these two above things are really interesting enhancements to the SQL 2008 from my viewport.

I can recall my time, while coding, spent long hours/days when implanting the “what is changed” process to my solutions. Sometimes struggling with triggers, stored procedures, timestamps, audit logs, blah… blah etc.

Also identifying the tradeoff, when to store images/ documents on file system, when in database (you can recall your time via keyword Blob), how to take backups of split data. (File system and database)

In my opinion, SQL server is at least two version late regarding release of file stream storage.
Anyway, Better late than never
[Is often used as a polite way to respond when a person says "sorry" for being late]