SOAP Extension Headers

This feature will be removed in a future version of Microsoft SQL Server. Avoid using this feature in new development work, and plan to modify applications that currently use this feature.

Beginning with SQL Server 2005, a request sent to an instance of SQL Server by using HTTP and SOAP can contain optional headers in the SOAP envelope that will modify how the request is executed. Similarly, sometimes, the instance of SQL Server can return additional SOAP header information for specific activities, such as database mirroring. The following are the optional headers:

  • SQL optional headers

  • The Web Services Security (WS-Security) header

SQL Optional Headers

These optional headers for SQL Server were added to HTTP SOAP support primarily to achieve parity with options that are available in traditional SQL data access over network connections where the Tabular Data Stream (TDS) protocol is being used.

Unless otherwise specified in this section, each of these optional headers use the namespace URI of "https://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2004/SOAP/Options" and are associated with the sqloptions namespace prefix which is declared in the following way for each header:

xmlns:sqloptions="https://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2004/SOAP/Options"

The following table lists all SQL optional headers that are available for use in SOAP request messaging under SQL Server.

Header

Description

sqloptions:applicationName Header Element

Enables the client to specify an application name for use.

sqloptions:clientInterface Header Element

Enables the client to specify a client interface for use.

sqloptions:clientNetworkID Header Element

Enables the client to specify a client network ID for use in SQL login.

sqloptions:clientPID Header Element

Enables the client to specify a client process ID for use.

sqloptions:databaseMirroringPartner Header Element

Used by the server to return information to a database mirror partner.

sqloptions:environmentChangeNotifications Header Element

Enables the client to specify which environment change notifications it wishes to receive from the server.

sqloptions:hostname Header Element

Enables the client to specify a host name for use.

sqloptions:initialDatabase Header Element

Enables the client to specify the initial database for use.

sqloptions:initialLanguage Header Element

Enables the client to specify the initial language for use.

sqloptions:notificationRequest Header Element

Enables the client to request a notification from the server.

sqloptions:sqlSession Header Element

Enables the client to request a SOAP session.

The WS-Security Header

The Web Services Security (WS-Security) header is supported for use with SQL Server to specify user name and password credentials for use in SQL Server authentication. For more information about the WS-Security header as it is supported for use in SQL Server, see SQL Server Authentication over SOAP.

WS-Security is based on an open standard that has been submitted to the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS). For more information about the WS-Security standard architecture, visit the OASIS Web site at http://www.oasis-open.org.