Page 105 - DCAP508_DATABASE_ADMINISTRATION

Unit 7: Automating Administrating Tasks

Introduction Notes

Microsoft SQL Server allows you to automate administrative tasks. To automate administration,
you define predictable administrative tasks and then specify the conditions under which each
task occurs. Using automated administration to handle routine tasks and events frees your time
to perform other administrative functions.
7.1 Meaning of Database Mail

Database Mail is an enterprise solution for sending e-mail messages from the SQL Server Database
Engine. Using Database Mail, your database applications can send e-mail messages to users. The
messages can contain query results, and can also include files from any resource on your network.
Database Mail is designed for reliability, scalability, security, and supportability.

Notes Database Mail is not active by default. To use Database Mail, you must explicitly
enable Database Mail by using either the Database Mail Configuration Wizard, the
sp_configure stored procedure, or by using the Surface Area Configuration facet of Policy-
Based Management.

7.1.1 Reliability Factors of Database Mail

No Microsoft Outlook or Extended Messaging Application Programming Interface
(Extended MAPI) requirement. Database Mail uses the standard Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol (SMTP) to send mail. You can use Database Mail without installing an Extended
MAPI client on the computer that runs SQL Server.
Process isolation. To minimize the impact on SQL Server, the component that delivers e-
mail runs outside of SQL Server, in a separate process. SQL Server will continue to queue
e-mail messages even if the external process stops or fails. The queued messages will be
sent once the outside process or SMTP server comes online.

Failover accounts. A Database Mail profile allows you to specify more than one SMTP
server. Should an SMTP server be unavailable, mail can still be delivered to another SMTP
server.
Cluster support. Database Mail is cluster-aware and is fully supported on a cluster.

7.1.2 Scalability Factors of Database Mail

Background delivery. Database Mail provides background, or asynchronous, delivery.
When you call sp_send_dbmail to send a message, Database Mail adds a request to a
Service Broker queue. The stored procedure returns immediately. The external e-mail
component receives the request and delivers the e-mail.

Multiple profiles. Database Mail allows you to create multiple profiles within a SQL
Server instance. Optionally, you can choose the profile that Database Mail uses when you
send a message.
Multiple accounts. Each profile can contain multiple failover accounts. You can configure
different profiles with different accounts to distribute e-mail across multiple e-mail servers.

64-bit compatibility. Database Mail is fully supported on 64-bit installations of SQL Server.

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