Notification Services and Other Technologies

Notification Services can receive data from and send data to other SQL Server components and other Microsoft technologies. This topic discusses how Notification Services integrates with these other components and technologies, and how Notification Services differs from other notification technologies.

Integration with Other SQL Server Components

The following sections provide basic information on how Notification Services integrates or interoperates with other SQL Server components. Notification Services is extensible with custom components, so you are not limited by the support listed below. You can develop custom event providers or delivery protocols to support a wide variety of applications.

Database Engine

Notification Services stores data in SQL Server databases and uses the Database Engine to generate notifications. Deep integration between Notification Services and the Database Engine provides scalable and reliable operation.

You can also retrieve event data databases or send notifications to the Database Engine. Because retrieving event data from databases is very common, Notification Services has a built-in SQL Server event provider. This event provider is hosted by the Notification Services engine, and runs on the schedule you provide in the application definition. For more information, see SQL Server Event Provider.

To support addition scenarios for retrieving events from databases, you can use the event submission stored procedures. For more information, see Notification Services Stored Procedures (Transact-SQL).

Note that the Database Engine has three of its own notification features:

• Event notifications are special kinds of database object that send information about server and database events to a SQL Server Service Broker.
• Query notifications allow an application to request a notification from SQL Server when the results of a query change.
• Agent job notifications notify an operator when a SQL Server Agent job performs a specified operation.

These Database Engine features are used for management or application development, but not for sending formatted messages to large numbers of subscribers. You can potentially use these features with Notification Services.

Analysis Services

Notification Services can receive event data from Analysis Services databases. Using the built-in Analysis Services event provider, you can write MDX queries that retrieve data from an Analysis Services database and submit the data to an application event class. For more information, see Analysis Services Event Provider.

Integration With Other Microsoft Technologies

Notification Services provides several mechanisms for capturing events from external processes and applications. Notification Services includes a standard event provider that capture data XML files dropped to an operating system folder.

Notification Services can send notifications using several delivery protocols. Notification Services includes a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and also includes a protocol for delivering notifications to a file, which is primarily intended for testing new application.

To support the quick developing of Web-based delivery protocols, Notification Services provides a configurable HTTP protocol, which can be customized to implement a variety of HTTP and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)-based delivery protocols.

Notification Services integrates with other key Microsoft technologies to gather notification content and deliver notifications to subscribers. The following examples illustrate how Notification Services can integrate with these other technologies.

Message Queuing and BizTalk

Messages from a queue can be events to a notification application, and notifications can be sent to Message Queuing queues or to Microsoft BizTalk through custom delivery channels. To use these technologies, you must develop custom components.

Live Communication Server

Microsoft Live Communication Server is the Office real-time communication server. Live Communication Server provides instant messaging and information that can help you find and communicate with others.

Live Communication Server can distribute notifications that are generated by Notification Services. To use Live Communication Server as a distributor, you must either develop or acquire a custom delivery protocol that submits notifications to Live Communication Server by using the Live Communication Server API.

For more information about Live Communication Server, see the Live Communication Server Web site.

For more information about developing custom delivery protocols, see Developing a Custom Delivery Protocol.

See Also

Concepts

What Is Notification Services?
Usage Scenarios for Notification Services
Notification Services Architecture
Notification Services Programming Framework
Notification Services Deployment Options
Notification Services Security, Reliability, Scalability, and Availability

Other Resources

Developing Custom Notification Services Components

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance

Change History