UTF8 String User-Defined Data Type (UDT)

  • Article

The UTF8String sample for SQL Server 2005 demonstrates the implementation of a user-defined data type. This sample shows the implementation of a UTF8 user-defined data type that extends the type system of the database to provide storage for UTF8-encoded values. This type also implements code to convert Unicode strings to and from UTF8.

The default installation directory is drive:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Samples\Engine\Programmability\CLR\UTF8String.

Scenario

A developer wants to represent, persist, and manipulate strings using the single byte Unicode encoding.

Languages

Transact-SQL, Visual C# and Visual Basic.

Features

The UTF8String sample uses the following features of SQL Server 2005:

Application Area Features

Overall

CLR

Prerequisites

Before running this sample, make sure the following software is installed:

  • SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2005 Express Edition (SQL Server Express). You can obtain SQL Server Express free of charge from the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Documentation and Samples Web site.
  • The AdventureWorks database which is included with SQL Server 2005, and is also available at the SQL Server Developer Web site.
  • The SQL Server 2005 Database Engine samples. These samples are included with SQL Server 2005. You can download the latest version of the samples at the SQL Server Developer Web site.
  • .NET Framework SDK 2.0 or Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. You can obtain .NET Framework SDK free of charge. See Installing the .NET Framework SDK.

Building the Sample

If you have not already created a strong name key file, generate the key file using the following instructions.

To generate a strong name key file

  1. Open a Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 command prompt. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft .NET Framework SDK 2.0, and then click SDK Command Prompt.

    -- or --

    Open a Microsoft .NET Framework command prompt. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft .NET Framework SDK 2.0, and then click SDK Command Prompt.

  2. Use the change directory command (CD) to change the current directory of the command prompt window to the folder where the samples are installed.

    Note

    To determine the folder where samples are located, click the Start button, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server, point to Documentation and Tutorials, and then click Samples Directory. If the default installation location was used, the samples are located in <system_drive>:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Samples.

  3. At the command prompt, run the following command to generate the key file:

    sn -k SampleKey.snk

    Important

    For more information about the strong-name key pair, see "Security Briefs: Strong Names and Security in the .NET Framework" in the .NET Development Center on MSDN.

To build the sample, do the following:

Build the sample

  1. Compile the sample by using Visual Studio 2005 and the provided Visual Studio solution, or by using Microsoft MSBuild, which is included in the .NET Framework SDK 2.0. Run a command similar to the following at the command prompt:

    msbuild /nologo /verbosity:quiet /property:Configuration=Debug CS\UTF8String.sln

  2. Ensure that the AdventureWorks database is installed.

  3. If you did not install the SQL Server Database Engine samples in the default location, modify the path in the CREATE ASSEMBLY portion of the script in Scripts\InstallCS.sql and Scripts\InstallVB.sql to refer to location where the samples were installed.

  4. If you are not an administrator for the SQL Server instance you are using, you must have an administrator grant you CreateAssembly permissions to complete the installation.

  5. Open the scripts\installCS.sql or scripts\installVB.sql file, depending on whether you compiled the Visual C# project or the Visual Basic project, in SQL Server Management Studio. Run the script that is contained in the file, or run a command similar to the following at the command prompt:

    sqlcmd -E -I -i Scripts\InstallCS.sql

    This file contains the script to install and register the user-defined data type in SQL Server.

Running the Sample

To run the sample, do the following:

Run the sample

  1. Open the scripts\test.sql file in Management Studio and run the script that is contained in the file. Or, run the following command at the command prompt:

    sqlcmd -E -I -i Scripts\test.sql

    This script shows usage examples of the sample.

Removing the Sample

To remove the sample, do the following:

Remove the sample

  1. Open the scripts\cleanup.sql file in Management Studio and run the script that is contained in the file. Or, run the following command at the command prompt:

    sqlcmd -E -I -i Scripts\cleanup.sql

    This script removes the sample.

Comments

The CLR for SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server Express must be enabled for this sample to work correctly.

Samples are provided for educational purposes only. They are not intended to be used in a production environment and have not been tested in a production environment. Microsoft does not provide technical support for these samples. Sample applications and assemblies should not be connected to or used with your production SQL Server database or your report server without the permission of the system administrator.

See Also

Concepts

CLR Programmability Samples

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance

Change History

Release History

5 December 2005
Changed content:
  • Changed instructions for generating a key file, including the name and location of the key file.