Querying Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 - Advanced Technology ...

1-8 Introduction to Microsoft SQL Server 2012SQL Server DatabasesDatabases in SQL Server are containers for data and objects, including tables, views, stored procedures,user accounts, and other management objects. A SQL Server database is always a single logical entity,backed by multiple physical files.When client applications send requests to the database engine as T-SQL statements, SQL Server performsall file, memory, and processor utilization on the client's behalf. Clients never directly access database files,unlike in desktop database applications.SQL Server supports two types of databases: system and user. TSQL2012, the sample database you will beusing to write queries, is a user database. SQL Server's system databases include:• master, the system configuration database.• msdb, the configuration database for the SQL Server Agent service and other system services.• model, the template for new user databases.• tempdb, used by the database engine to store temporary data such as work tables. This database isdropped and recreated each time SQL Server restarts - never store anything you need to depend onin it!• Resource, a hidden system configuration database that provides system objects to other databases.Database administrators and developers can create user databases to hold data and objects forapplications. You connect to a user database to execute your queries. You will need security credentials tolog in to SQL Server and a database account with permissions to access data objects in the database.