The Basics of SQL Servers

A Basic Overview of SQL Web Servers

Those looking to take advantage of web server solutions that are optimized with relational database management systems in mind – particularly Structured Query Language (SQL) databases – are going to want to leverage specific SQL web servers that dovetail perfectly with this domain specific language.

The SQL programming language was established back in 1974, became a “standard” of the ANSI in 1986, and also achieved ISO standardization in 1987. It’s incredible to think that one of the most powerful web server technologies available today was being used almost 50 years ago, but that’s a testament to the flexibility, the versatility, and the security that SQL brings to the table.

With today’s modern internet not so much focused on static objects hosted by BlueHost on individual servers any longer, but instead in taking advantage of technology that both stores and retrieves data requested by a handful of different applications running on a variety of different servers, relational database technology like SQL has never been as important as it is today.

And while traditional web servers can handle a lot of the “heavy lifting” that our modern internet infrastructure requires these days few set ups can compete with the speed, security, and overall performance that SQL servers afford when working with these kinds of databases in particular.

Below we highlight some inside information you want to know about SQL web server solutions, details that will help you make the most of this technology as you deploy online platforms, websites, and web applications that make the most of SQL databases and this programming language.

Leveraging the Right Server Management Tools

One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle in making the most of SQL web servers is that you are using the right server management tools to administrate the server that you are utilizing.

Server Manager, SQL Query Analyzer, and SQL Server Enterprise Manager are just some of the options you’ll have an opportunity to pick and choose from. These tools can be deployed as an administrative backend on your server, providing you with commandline and GUI options to control your new web server however you feel most comfortable.

Newbies leveraging SQL web servers for the first time will want to take advantage of GUI administrative backends for sure. Those that have a little more experience with SQL (particularly T–SQL) will still find GUI backend platforms to be useful but might also want to dig deeper into the actual commandline tools of server admin panels as well.

SQL Web Server Security Details

One of the biggest benefits of an SQL web server is that it is highly secure, thanks in large part to three core components of the overall “security net” used on these kinds of deployments.

Individual account logins and passwords are necessary to access the backend of the database (obviously), but server wide admins have the opportunity to add individual database users as well. They also have the ability to set individual permission levels for all of these database users, another layer of safety and security that allows for partial access – or total access – that can be granted or rescinded at any point in time pretty easily.

SQL Data Backup

It is irresponsible (and maybe even reckless) to administrate an SQL web server without a plan for data archiving and data backup.

Thankfully though, SQL web server technology allows for three individual recovery models that you’ll be able to pick and choose from – helping you to straddle the fine line between managing resource overhead and having the opportunity to completely restore and recover data that may have become compromised for one reason or another.

Administrators are able to choose:

Simple Recovery – This level requires the lowest amount of resource overhead but makes it almost impossible to recover any data whatsoever beyond the last backup point that was established.

Full Recovery – Sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum from a Simple Recovery, Full Recovery with SQL web server technology guarantees that all data on a server gets marked “critical” and is constantly backed up and recoverable all the way up to the point of physical failure. This is the setting that is most frequently toggled on in default SQL server deployments.

Bulk Logged Recovery – A bit of a “Goldilocks” setting that sits between the two extremes we highlighted above, the overwhelming majority of database activity and transactions are going to be fully recoverable though there is some expectation that noncritical data will be difficult if not impossible to recover up to the last database backup.

At the end of the day, bit more goes on behind the scenes administrating SQL web server solutions to fully optimize and leverage all of the features and performance benefits they have to offer. Of course, if you’re going to be leveraging SQL databases for your web application or web platform they are usually the way to go even with that extra admin overhead.