Overview
SQL Server is a comprehensive, integrated end-to-end data solution that empowers users across your organization by providing them with a secure, reliable, and productive platform for enterprise data and business intelligence (BI) applications. SQL Server 2005 delivers powerful, familiar tools to Information Technology professionals as well as to information workers, reducing the complexity of creating, deploying, managing, and using enterprise data and analytical applications on platforms ranging from mobile devices to enterprise data systems. Through a comprehensive feature set, interoperability with existing systems, and automation of routine tasks, SQL Server 2005 provides a complete data solution for enterprises of all sizes. Figure 1 shows the layout of the SQL Server 2005 data platform.
The SQL Server 2005 Data Platform Tools
• Relational database: Secure, reliable, scalable, highly available relational database engine with improved performance and support for structured and unstructured (XML) data;  • Replication Services: Data replication for distributed or mobile data processing applications, high systems availability, scalable concurrency with secondary data stores for enterprise reporting solutions, and integration with heterogeneous systems, including existing Oracle databases;  • Notification Services: Advanced notification capabilities for the development and deployment of scalable applications that can deliver personalized, timely information updates to a variety of connected and mobile devices;  • Integration Services: Extract, transform, and load capabilities for data warehousing and enterprise-wide data integration;  • Analysis Services: Online analytical processing (OLAP) capabilities for the rapid, sophisticated analysis of large and complex datasets using multidimensional storage;  • Reporting Services: A comprehensive solution for creating, managing, and delivering both traditional, paper-oriented reports and interactive, Web-based reports;  • Management tools: SQL Server includes integrated management tools for advanced database management and tuning as well as tight integration with tools such as Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) and Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS). Standard data access protocols drastically reduce the time it takes to integrate data in SQL Server with existing systems. In addition, native Web service support is built into SQL Server to ensure interoperability with other applications and platforms;  • Development tools: SQL Server offers integrated development tools for the database engine, data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL), data mining, OLAP, and reporting that are tightly integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio® to provide end-to-end application development capabilities. Every major subsystem in SQL Server ships with it’s own object model and set of APIs to extend the data system in any direction that is unique to your business.
The SQL Server 2005 Data Platform Benefits
• Leverage data assets: In addition to delivering a secure, reliable database for line-of-business and analytical applications, SQL Server 2005 enables customers to get more value from their data by including embedded functionality such as reporting, analysis, and data mining;  • Increase productivity: Through comprehensive business intelligence capabilities and integration with familiar tools such as the Microsoft Office System, SQL Server 2005 provides information workers across your organization with critical, timely business information that is tailored to their specific needs. The goal is to extend BI to all users within an organization and ultimately to allow users at all levels of the organization to make better business decisions based on one of their most valuable assets—their data;  • Reduce Information Technology complexity: SQL Server 2005 simplifies the development, deployment, and management of line-of-business and analytical applications by providing a flexible development environment for developers and integrated, automated management tools for database administrators;  • Lower total cost of ownership (TCO): The integrated approach and focus on ease-of-use and deployment provides the industry’s lowest upfront, implementation, and maintenance costs for rapid return on your database investment.
Security
Provide a secure environment to address privacy and compliance requirements with built-in features that protect your data against unauthorized access.
Business Intelligence
Gain deeper insight into your business with integrated, comprehensive analysis and reporting for enhanced decision making.
Manageability
Manage your infrastructure with automated diagnostics, tuning, and configuration to reduce operational costs while reducing maintenance and easily managing very large amounts of data.
Developer Productivity
Build and deploy critical business-ready applications more quickly by improving developer productivity and reducing project life cycle times. Retrieved from: https://www.microsoft.com/middleeast/windowsserversystem/sql/overview.aspx