Can't Wrap Your Head Around SQL Server 2012? Think Burrito
Wondering how a company can benefit from implementing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 development? Imagine that business as a burrito. No, really. Do it.
Think of all the inner contents of the burrito (rice, beans, meat, cheese, lettuce, salsa) as the data that make that company run – sales contacts, market research, financial statistics, order history, employee records, etc. All are necessary components for that burrito to exist.
But what if there’s no tortilla? Without the presence of a tortilla, well, there’s simply no burrito. Suddenly, there’s rice on a plate drowning in an ocean of salsa and trying to stay afloat on top of the beans and meat. It’d be impossible to scoop up all of the sour cream and guacamole off that plate. Catastrophe!
Businesses need a shell to house all of that mission-critical data – that’s what SQL Server 2012 offers. Strong data warehouse development holds everything together and makes sure nothing falls to the wayside. SQL Server 2012 keeps that poor rice from drowning in a sea of spice and sodium.
Microsoft’s newest brand of « burritos » comes with several additional features to enhance the flavor. Think of it like going to your local burrito chain (be it Chipotle, Pancheros, Qdoba) and all of the different customization options you can choose. Adding each of these new features is like being allowed to elect multiple kinds of meat, different tortillas, special salsas, and more – all into one burrito.
Integration with Hadoop is like an over-sized tortilla shell, allowing massive amounts of both structured and unstructured data (literally, petabytes) to be stored within.
FileTable, AlwaysOn, and SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) are like various forms salsa that you can load into your burrito. FileTable is an update to SQL Server 2008’s FileStream feature that allows users to manage unstructured data like PDFs, Microsoft Word documents, JPEGs, etc. in a familiar Windows Explorer environment. AlwaysOn is an improved High Availability (HA) feature and disaster recovery solution that will improve reporting performance and eliminate a tremendous amount of downtime risk. SSDT combines old features like Business Intelligence Development Studio and Visual Studio Database tool set, and is even available for free download to test it out.
Taking a step back and continuing on with the « burrito » analogy, it’s easy to look at Microsoft as one giant restaurant, with each of its products (SharePoint, BizTalk, etc.) as a different item on what is increasing becoming a comprehensive menu . Each item remains highly customizable, and at the same time, complements another menu on the item and features many of the same ingredients. The same components that are housed within that burrito are also integral to other needs the business may have, and therefore are often internal components of other « menu items. »
By prioritizing data warehouse development – specifically SQL 2012 data warehouses, businesses can stay ahead of the technology curve.
