For all of the Hosters out there that are offering shared Data Hosting via SQL Server 2005, the SQL Server Group here at Microsoft if developing a toolkit to empower you to deliver a better hosting experience. The SQL Server Hosting Toolkit is currently comprised of two tools, the Database Publishing Wizard and the Database Publishing Services.

The following pulled from the SQL Server Hosting Toolkit Site (http://www.codeplex.com/sqlhost):

The Database Publishing Wizard enables the deployment of SQL Server 2005 databases (both schema and data) into a shared hosting environment on either a SQL Server 2000 or 2005 server.

The tool supports two modes of deployment:

  1. It generates a single SQL script file which can be used to recreate a database when the only connectivity to a server is through a web-based control panel with a script execution window.
  2. It connects to a web service provided by your hoster and directly creates objects on a specified hosted database

The Database Publishing Wizard provides both a graphical and a command-line interface.

As a hoster, you can use Database Publishing Services to enable your customers to easily deploy their SQL Server databases into your environment with tools such as the Database Publishing Wizard.

For more information on the 2nd Customer Technology Preview of the SQL Server Hosting Toolkit please visit: http://www.codeplex.com/sqlhost

-Chuck