SQL Server 2008 - Improved BLOB Support via FILESTREAM

FILESTREAM in SQL Server 2008 enables SQL Server-based applications to store binary large object (BLOB) data such as documents, images, and videos, as files on the file system. The size of this unstructured data is limited only by the volume size of the file system.

This type of storage is enabled by specifying a FILESTREAM attribute on a regular varbinary(max) column, which causes data to be stored in the file system instead of the database file. Applications use Transact-SQL statements to insert, update, delete, and query data stored in a FILESTREAM column. In addition, applications can take advantage of Win32 file system APIs for fast streaming access. There is a new unmanaged FILESTREAM API available in the SQL Native Access Client and a new SqlFileStream managed class introduced in .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.

FILESTREAM integrates directly into the Database Engine. This allows applications that store unstructured data to benefit from the rich streaming APIs and performance of the file system while ensuring transactional consistency with data stored in the database.

Most SQL Server management tools and functions work without modification for FILESTREAM allowing, for example, back up operations to include both database file data and file system data.

Lessons

  • Demo: Introduction to FILESTREAM Data Storage
    Demo: Introduction to FILESTREAM Data Storage
    FILESTREAM is a new feature in the SQL Server 2008 release. It allows structured data to be stored in the database and associated unstructured (i.e., BLOB) data to be stored directly in the NTFS file system. You can then access the BLOB data through the high-performance Win32 streaming APIs,…
  • Demo: Programming with FILESTREAM
    Demo: Programming with FILESTREAM
    This demo explains how SQL Server 2008 stores column data in the file system using the new FILESTREAM feature. It shows how to insert, read, update, and delete FILESTREAM columns using Transact-SQL. The demo explains how to access this data using streaming file I/O code and a managed API.
  • Presentation: Filestream Data Storage
    Presentatio​n: Filestream Data Storage
    FILESTREAM storage enables SQL Server applications to store unstructured data, such as documents and images, on the file system. This presentation provides an overview of the main features and implementation details of FILESTREAM in SQL Server 2008.

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