Introducing SQL Server Notification Services

Microsoft SQL Server Notification Services is a platform for developing and deploying applications that generate and send notifications to subscribers. The notifications generated are personalized, timely messages that can be sent to a wide range of devices, and that reflect the preferences of the subscriber.

Subscribers create subscriptions to notification applications. A subscription is an expressed interest in a specific type of event. For example, subscriptions might express the following preferences: "Notify me when my stock price reaches $70.00," or "Notify me when the strategy document my team is writing is updated."

A notification can be generated and sent to the subscriber as soon as a triggering event occurs. A notification can also be generated and sent on a predetermined schedule specified by the subscriber.

Notifications can be sent to a wide range of devices. For example, a notification can be sent to a subscriber's cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), Microsoft Windows Messenger, or e-mail account. Because these devices often accompany the subscriber, notifications are ideal for sending important information.

Notification applications are valuable for many reasons, including the following:

  • Notification applications enable you to send critical information to customers, partners, and employees. The notifications can contain links to a Web site to retrieve more information or to acknowledge receipt of the information.
  • Notification applications enhance and strengthen your relationships with customers by providing more customized and timely services to them.
  • Notification applications help increase your revenue by making it easier for customers to initiate business transactions with you.
  • Notification applications help make your employees more productive by providing them with the information they need, whenever and wherever they need it.
  • Notification applications allow you to communicate with mobile subscribers over a wide variety of devices.

With Notification Services you can build and deploy applications quickly, and scale the applications to support millions of subscribers if desired. Notification Services consists of:

  • A simple yet powerful Notification Services programming framework that enables you to quickly create and deploy notification applications. You can develop applications using XML or Notification Services Management Objects (NMO).
  • A reliable, high-performance, scalable engine that runs notification applications. The Notification Services engine is built on the Microsoft .NET Framework and SQL Server 2005.

In This Section

Topic Description

What Is Notification Services?

Explains what Notification Services is, how it operates, and what benefits it provides.

Usage Scenarios for Notification Services

Provides application scenarios that illustrate how you can use Notification Services.

Notification Services Architecture

Describes the architecture behind collecting events and subscriptions, generating notifications, and formatting and distributing those notifications.

Notification Services Programming Framework

Provides an overview of the Notification Services application development process.

Notification Services Deployment Options

Explains how Notification Services applications are deployed and administered.

Notification Services Security, Reliability, Scalability, and Availability

Explains how Notification Services helps promote security, and provides reliability, scalability, and availability for notification applications.

Notification Services and Other Technologies

Describes how Notification Services can integrate with other technologies.

Editions of Notification Services

Lists the SQL Server 2005 editions and describes Notification Services functionality in those editions.

See Also

Other Resources

Notification Services Enhancements
Building Notification Solutions
Deploying Notification Services
Administering Notification Services

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance