The success of SQL Service Broker?

Question

I am considering converting our internal application from MSMQ and WCF to SSB. We need a more functional system in relation to our lineup.

However, I do not see many implementations or general information if SSB is used with .Net. The SSB blog is not very active, and I see several posts in general about successes or implementation tips.

Is SSB used? Are there any better alternatives for queues and .Net?

Answer 1

There is actually a lot of information (although I doubt it will tell you if SSB is right for your needs):

• SQL Server Service Broker

• Service Broker Tutorials

• Sample SQL Server Brokerage Products

• Real World DBA Episode 15 - SQL Server Features - Service Broker

• Book: Pro SQL Server 2008 Service Broker

Answer 2

We use SSB to asynchronously process many different types of records, and this is a common breeze. Getting started was a bit tied up, but it was worth it. Using activation procedures has saved us a lot of time. Imagine that you can dyanmically say: "I want this async process to have 10 threads to process the items in the queue, but I want this other async process to have only 2 threads to process the items in the queue." This is just a parameter to a stored activation procedure. I would recommend looking at the Adam SSB Mechanics tutorials at simple-talk.com.

Answer 3

The people I know who use it (for example, MVP Denny Cherry http://mrdenny.com ) are very happy with it, but like you, "We found out that very few people use it relative to the general SQL Server population. There is a little barrier to entry, because it is not intuitive for database administrators, and there is no graphical interface for it.

If you have specific questions about this, write to Denny and he would be happy to talk with you about it. He also makes presentations to user groups.

Answer 4

For an overview of several selected Service Broker deployments, see here . Several large companies (such as MySpace) have publicly announced that Service Broker is one of the main foundations for their system architecture.