Rich XML Support
Simplify the integration of your back-end systems and data transfer across firewalls using XML.

Integration with Windows Server System—BizTalk Server and Commerce Server
SQL Server 2005, in conjunction with other Microsoft Windows Server System™ integrated server software, provides even more power for your e-business.

Web-Enabled Analysis
Analyze data from remote OLAP cubes that are Web accessible.

Web Access to Data
Connect to your SQL Server 2005 databases and OLAP cubes flexibly, by using the Web with no additional programming.

Application Hosting
With multi-instance support, SQL Server enables you to take full advantage of your hardware investments so that multiple applications can be run on a single server, or outsourced.

Clickstream Analysis
Gain a deep understanding of online customer behavior, so that you can make better business decisions.

Security
Ensure your applications are secure in any networked environment, with role-based security and file and network encryption.

Full-Text Search
Use and manage both your structured and unstructured data, including searching through Microsoft Office documents.

High Availability
Maximize the availability of your business applications with log shipping, online backups, and failover clusters.

Scalability
Scale your applications up to 32 CPUs and 64 gigabytes (GB) of RAM. SQL Server 2005 has demonstrated record-breaking performance that you can leverage.

Security
Ensure your applications are secure in any networked environment, with role-based security and file and network encryption.

Distributed Partitioned Views
Partition your workload among multiple servers for additional scalability.

Indexed Views
Gain performance from your existing hardware by storing query results and reducing response times.

VI SAN
Improve your overall system performance with built-in support for a virtual system area network (VI SAN).

Replication
With SQL Server 2005 you can implement merge, transactional, and snapshot replication with heterogeneous systems.

Full-Text Search
Use and manage both your structured and unstructured data, including searching through Microsoft Office documents.

Simplified Database Administration
Automatic tuning and maintenance features enable administrators to focus on other critical tasks.

Improved Developer Productivity
User-defined functions, cascading referential integrity, and the integrated Transact-SQL debugger allow you to reuse code to simplify the development process.

Data Transformation Services
Automate routines that extract, transform, and load data from heterogeneous sources.

Extend Applications
Support for access by devices, such as Microsoft Windows® CE handheld units, provides broader access to applications and extends your user base.

Web and Application Hosting
Have your e-commerce solution hosted by a third party, with SQL Server 2005 support for multiple instances.

English Query
Enable your users to pose questions in English instead of using multi dimensional expressions (MDX).

Data Mining
Discover patterns and trends with data mining, and make predictions about future trends in your business.

Analysis (OLAP) Services
Perform rapid, sophisticated analysis on large and complex data sets using multi-dimensional storage.

OLAP Flexibility
Use multiple dimension types for flexible business analysis.

Closed-Loop Analysis
Take analysis one step further with OLAP actions, allowing results to drive next steps in the business process.