SQL Standard, Enterprise, or Small Bus Server..?

[Rebies]

Hi, I've been playing around and trying to learn SQL server a bit over the past 6 months or so.

I'm curious: If I am going to be using a dedicated server as a SQL server for a few different web sites of moderate size, what is my best way to go?

1.) SQL 2000 Standard
2.) SQL 2000 Enterprise
3.) Small Business Server 2000 (SQL 2000 Standard is included)

I realize the differences with SQL Standard and Enterprise as Microsoft states:

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/evaluation/features/choosing.asp

But, am I losing any SQL functionality with the SQL version in Microsoft Small Business Server 2000 versus the regular version of SQL 2000 Standard? And are there any reasons a relatively new SQL manager, such as myself, might want the Enterprise version instead of the Standard version?

Thanks for any help.

Andrew Reberry

 

[sguslan]

Enterprise offers clustering using MS Clustering Server for failover reliability while the Standard Addition does not ...
If you can not afford the service to be down any time use Enterprise addition.
Plus, Enterprise Addition has Distributed Partitioned Views which makes it possible to partition a huge table over many servers which makes scaling easily affordable. Some people will just scale up using more CPU and memory in one box, but in some situations one machine can not do the job.

 

[Rebies]

What about the version of SQL server shipped with Small Business Server 2000 versus the actual version of Microsoft SQL Server Standard? Are these any different in any way what-so-ever?

If not, why does Small Business Server and SQL Server 2000 Standard have the same retail price of $1,500? It makes you wonder if anything has been stripped out of the SQL Server... ?

Andrew