SQL Server Web Edition - What is this new edition?
If you remember about editions of SQL Server from 2000 onwards you will see Enterprise, Standard, Personal & Desktop Edition (MSDE) and when it comes to 2005 version Enterprise, Standard, Workgroup, Express & Express Advanced Services. So what's new with SQL Server 2008 version, in addition to 5 editions the newest one is Web Edition.
In the words of Microsoft reference SQL Server 2008 Web is specifically designed for highly available Internet facing web serving environments for the next generation Windows Server. With more robust capabilities than previous versions of SQL Server, SQL Server 2008 Web provides what you need to help support low cost, large scale highly available web applications or hosting solutions to your customers.
Unlike the previous offering of SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008 Web has greater technical capabilities such as automating security policy enforcement and supporting new integration features in the .NET Framework.
This new edition will help the hosting companies to provide low cost, highly scalable hosting for developers, SMBs, and consumers, all with a low monthly licensing fee, four CPU support, and no limits on memory and database size for increased scalability. SQL Server Web edition also supports the SQL Server Driver for PHP.
Recently my boss enquired me to dig more about this new edition that might help our applications. So after searching on web I was unable to find relevant information, a brief search within BOL revealed following information.
To talk more on detailed features that are supported by Web edition of SQL Server 2008:
High Availability
Multi-instance support
Online System changes (hot-add CPU)
Backup Log Shipping
Database Mirroring
Security
SQL Auditing foundation
C2 Compliant tracing
Replication
Transactional, Snapshot & Merge - Subscriber only
SQL Server Change Tracking
Manageability
Dedicated Admin Connection (DAC)
Policy Based Configration (PBM)
Policy Based Configuration
Performance data Collection and Warehouse (MDW - Performance Studio)
Database Mail
Database Migration Tool
Development & Management Tools
SMO - SQL Management Objects
SQL Configuration Manager
SQLCMD (Command line)
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) - Express type of tool
SQL Profiler
SQL Server Agent Services
Database Tuning Advisor
Microsoft Operations Manager Pack (MOM - SCOM)
Visual Studio Integration (BIDS related)
Programmability
CLR Integration
Native XML support
XML Indexing
MERGE & UPSERT capability
FILESTREAM
DATE & TIME Datatypes
Internationalization support
FULL-Text search
Service Broker (Messaging) - Client only
Spatial & Location
Spatial Indexes
Geodatic data types
Advanced Spatial libraries
Standard-based spatial libraries
Integration Services
SQL Server Import and Export Wizard with basic sources and destinations and Execute SQL task
Integration Services runing (IS)
Integration Services API & Object model
Reporting Services
Report Server
Report Designer
Report Manager
Role based security
Text formatting
Enterprise-scale reporting engine
IIS report deployment
Updated management tools
Export to MS Word, Excel, PDF & Images
Scaling memory limits
No features for Scalability, Sharepoint integration, Data Mining & Data Warehouse basis.
My final verdict is this is an useful addition to SQL Server editions which can be used for smaller & medium sized business enterprise to avoid heavy billing on financials such as licensing costs.
