Storing Multimedia Data

Patrick Conlan of Microsoft's SQL Server development team recommends SQL Server's image data type or Windows Media Services for storing binary data.

ITPro Today logo

Can SQL Server store multimedia data, such as audio or video?

Yes, SQL Server's image data type can hold up to 2GB of binary data. However, for larger media files, we recommend using Windows Media Services, an integral part of Windows Server 2003, for serving media data from the NTFS file system. For streaming large media files, Windows Media Services' performance characteristics and access protocols are superior to those provided by block-based database file systems.

Sign up for the ITPro Today newsletter
Stay on top of the IT universe with commentary, news analysis, how-to's, and tips delivered to your inbox daily.

You May Also Like