We are now offering Microsoft SQL 2008 Beta databases. A SQL database allows you to store and retrieve data. This is useful for web applications that are designed to take information from users and store it. For example, a web application can be designed to ask visitors for their email address. When a visitor enters their email address the application can save it to a database. At a later time, a list of email addresses can be retrieved from the database to be used.

Previously we only offered support for Microsoft Access databases and Microsoft SQL 2000 databases. For high volume sites with large databases, Microsoft Access is perhaps not the most ideal solution. It is also incompatible with ASP.NET web sites running on a Windows 2003 server. Microsoft SQL 2000 works well, but customers who develop their database on a newer version of the Microsoft SQL platform may find it difficult to transfer their data to myhosting.com.

With Microsoft SQL 2008, we have introduced new tools to make working with your database easier. One of these is the SQL Web Administration tool. It allows you to create and delete tables, retrieve and edit data, work with stored procedures, and run queries. This is great if you need to make a change quickly and would like to do it through your web browser.

The SQL Web Administration Tool

Most databases are developed and tested on a local workstation. When it is working correctly it is copied to the hosting company’s server. To assist with this we are now offering a SQL Web Backup tool. To get your database on our server, first backup the database on your computer, then start the SQL Web Backup tool, upload your backup file, and finally restore it. This feature is available for both SQL 2000 and SQL 2008 databases. For a SQL 2000 database you can only restore a database that was created on a SQL 2000 server. For a SQL 2008 database you can restore a database that was created on a SQL 2000 server, a SQL 2005 server, or a SQL 2008 server.

The SQL Web Backup Tool

Microsoft is providing a free preview version of SQL Server 2008 Beta. The preview includes a copy of the latest SQL Server Management Studio. SQL Server Management Studio allows you to develop and work with a database. With this program you can connect to a SQL Server that is running on your local computer or connect to our SQL Server. If you would like to use SQL Server Management Studio to work with a SQL 2008 database, you will need to use the preview version from Microsoft. You can obtain the free download here.

myhosting.com offers a 25 megabyte database for free with all Premium and Professional hosting plans. If you would like to test out the new SQL 2008 Beta, why not sign up for your free account and then install an application such as DotNetNuke? DotNetNuke is a web application that can be used to build a web site. You can add features such as account login, banners, site search, and RSS feeds. You can build a web site that has all these features without DotNetNuke but it would take a lot of time to create. DotNetNuke is an open source application which means many developers contribute to it and you can download and modify the source code if you wish. We offer an auto-installer for the DotNetNuke application so you can get it up and running on your site in just a few minutes.

And if you outgrow the database it can be upgraded to a larger size for a fee. And if you run into any problems or have any questions, you can always contact our 24/7 Customer Support department for assistance!

Tony P
Software Developer
SoftCom Technology Consulting Inc.

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