Database Internals

Microsoft SQL Server internal structure provides a superior platform for delivering cost-effective information solutions.

A SQL Server database is essentially a storage area for database objects. These objects, such as tables, indexes, views, data types, and stored procedures, are used to represent entities of interest to the database users. These objects represent entities that are externally visible to users of the database; they are not the elements that SQL Server uses internally to build the database.

The following sections describe:

The internal structure of SQL Server databases.
The physical files used to store the databases.
How the system tables, sysdevices, sysdatabases, sysusages, and syssegments, catalog and manage these structures.
The basic layout of SQL Server tables and indexes.