Spatial Data Types

SQL Server’s support of SQLCLR allows for very rich user-defined types to be utilized. For example, a developer could create a single object that contains multiple properties and can also perform calculations internally (methods), yet still store it in a single column in a single row in a database table. This allows multiple complex types of data to be stored and queried in the database, instead of just strings and numbers.

SQL Server 2008 makes use of SQLCLR to support two new .NET CLR data types for storing spatial data: GEOMETRY and GEOGRAPHY. These types support methods and properties that allow for the creation, comparison, analysis, and retrieval of spatial data. Spatial data types provide a comprehensive, high-performance, ...

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