With distributed partitioned views, SQL Server 2000 shares the database load across a server farm by horizontally partitioning the SQL Server data. These servers cooperate in managing the partitioned data but operate autonomously, a step toward shared-nothing clusters. The partitioning of data within SQL Server 2000 is transparent to applications accessing the database. SQL Server 2000 EE contains several enhancements that make these views updatable. By scaling SQL Server 2000 distributed partitioned views across multiple servers, enterprises can add additional servers only when workloads require it, building server farms as data center demands increase.
Server farms can also provide better reliability by having no single point of failure.
This approach allows SQL Server 2000 environments, combined with VI-enabled networks, to set new industry benchmark performance records described in more detail below. SQL Server 2000 databases communicating to application servers through VI boost application performance by increasing the responsiveness of database queries, lowering system overhead, and lowering the latency required for the communication. Applications written to these interfaces will be able to take advantage of the low system overhead, low latency, and high throughput attributes provided by VI networks. SQL Server clustering high-availability failover to ensure continuation of service and the availability of data. Giganet cLAN networks also include a management console to monitor data transmission across the VI-enabled network.