HTTP endpoint session support in SQL Server 2005

I've been trying out the new session support in HTTP endpoints. You manipulate this through SOAP headers, and looking through the list of SOAP headers supported allowed me to understand this feature from an entirely different perspective. It looks like the session support makes this into more of an alternate client stack than a mechanism to serve web services on the internet or (more likely) intranet.

The HTTP endpoints session support is meant to overcome the limitation that HTTP is a stateless protocol, while TDS/SNI/Netlibs is a stateful one. That is, you normally login to SQL Server perform multiple operations and logoff. With HTTP endpoint sessions, you can do this. There are SOAP headers for "connection string parameters" like initial catalog and application name, there are initiate (login) and terminate (logoff) attributes. There are headers exposing concepts like database transactions and prepared statements. There are even headers for new SQL Server 2005 features like database mirroring partner (for failover) and notification request (for query notifications).

I'll post some samples to show what's possible. They use the SoapHeader definition ("include file") starter (tweaked a bit) from the BOL. Bear in mind that if you define the endpoint on your own machine (you can't come over to my house and use my machine, sorry) you need to update the web reference. Doing so wipes out the SOAP Headers that you need in the proxy class (Reference.cs) to make this work. So don't forget to add 'em back. Save the original code in case you forget. For a more detailed explanation than that, refer to BOL or come to the class and I'll show you how. Or come to Windev and Dan Sullivan will, he's doing the talk on this feature. And have a think about why this is useful, maybe I'll discuss this next.

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