Brief about SQL Server Service Broker

Service Broker is a new technology in Microsoft SQL Server 2005 that helps database developers build secure, reliable, and scalable applications. Because Service Broker is part of the Database Engine, administration of these applications is part of the routine administration of the database.

Service Broker provides queuing and reliable messaging for SQL Server. Service Broker is used both for applications that use a single SQL Server instance and applications that distribute work across multiple instances.

Within a single instance of SQL Server, Service Broker provides a robust asynchronous programming model. Database applications typically use asynchronous programming to shorten interactive response time and increase overall application throughput.

·      Service Broker also provides reliable messaging between SQL Server instances.

·      Service Broker helps developers compose applications from independent, self-contained components called services.

·      Applications that require the functionality exposed in these services use messages to interact with the services. Service Broker uses TCP/IP to exchange messages between instances.

·      Service Broker includes features to help prevent unauthorized access from the network and to encrypt messages sent over the network.

What does Service Broker do?

Service Broker helps developers build asynchronous, loosely coupled applications in which independent components work together to accomplish a task. These application components exchange messages that contain the information that is required to complete the task. The fundamental aspects of Service Broker are:

•   Conversations

•   Message ordering and coordination

•   Transactional asynchronous programming

•   Support for loosely coupled applications

•   Service Broker components

Advantages of Service Broker:

Service Broker's features provide a number of significant benefits to database applications. These features and benefits include:

·         Database integration enhances application performance and simplifies administration.

·         Message ordering and coordination for simplified application development

·         Loose application coupling provides workload flexibility.

·         Related message locking allows more than one instance of an application to process messages from the same queue without explicit synchronization.

·         Automatic activation allows applications to scale with the message volume.