Creating CLR Functions for SQL Server

One of the most exciting new features of MS SQL Server 2005 is its ability to host the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR). This feature was not, however, designed merely to provide an alternative to Transact SQL (TSQL). In any development project, it is important to use the right tool for the right job. If you want to create a stored procedure that performs standard operations on relational data, then without doubt TSQL is the platform to choose. Since TSQL is designed solely for the purpose of manipulating relational data, it is superb at that job. However, there are many tasks which fall outside of the realm of relational data. It is for these tasks that CLR code might be a wise choice. Such tasks might include writing log information directly to disk or gathering data from a web service.