Guru's Guide to SQL Server Architecture and Internals, The

Recap

COM offers a language-independent mechanism for exposing the functionality in a DLL or executable to the outside world. It is based on interfaces and the concept of binding—an application that makes use of COM is said to be either early bound or late bound to the COM interfaces it uses.

SQL Server both exposes its own functionality via COM and makes use of functionality exposed by external COM components. Some examples of SQL Server functionality exposed via COM include its use of OLE DB and its own native OLE DB provider, SQLOLEDB, and SQL-DMO, the COM objects on which Enterprise Manager is based; and SQLXMLOLEDB, the OLE DB provider that exposes the client-side SQLXML functionality. Examples of external COM interfaces used by SQL Server ...