notification services == processing data streams and continuous queries?

Question

hello,

i'm new to notification services and before digging into it i'd like to make sure that this is the technology i need.

i want to implement continuous queries  that process data streams with sql server. a continuous query should act like the condition part of a trigger: it should listen to a data source that produces a data stream and process each element on the stream as soon as it arrives.

is notification services what i'm looking for?

 

thanks 

Answer 1

Hi stefancelmicsisfant,

A Notification Services application (or "notification application") generates and sends messages to users or other applications that have subscribed to the application.

Please see:

Introducing SQL Server Notification Services
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms166495(v=sql.90).aspx

Microsoft SQL Server Notification Services Technical Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc966501.aspx

According to your description, I think SQL Service Broker can meet your needs. Service Broker provides queuing and reliable messaging for SQL Server. With Service Broker, internal or external processes can send and receive guaranteed, asynchronous messaging by using extensions to Transact-SQL.

Please see:

Overview (Service Broker)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms166104.aspx

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Answer 2

You may be more interested in the SQL 2008  Streaminsight (Complex Event Processing). This is more of constantly running engine.

http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/solutions-technologies/business-intelligence/complex-event-processing.aspx

It is a little more steep on the learning curve than what Notification Services was (it not longer is a product, removed since SQL 2008).