Online Documentation for SQL Administrator for SQL Server

Surface area configuration

The Surface area configuration section of the Server Properties dialog allows you to configure the instance of Microsoft® SQL Server by managing the software's surface area. Surface area managing is a security measure that involves stopping or disabling unused components.

Enable ad hoc distributed queries using OPENROWSET and OPENDATASOURCE

By default, SQL Server does not allow ad hoc distributed queries using OPENROWSET and OPENDATASOURCE. When this option is checked, SQL Server allows ad hoc access.

Ad hoc distributed queries use the OPENROWSET and OPENDATASOURCE functions to connect to remote data sources that use OLE DB. OPENROWSET and OPENDATASOURCE should be used only to reference OLE DB data sources that are accessed infrequently.

Enabling the use of ad hoc names means that any authenticated login to SQL Server can access the provider. SQL Server administrators should enable this feature for providers that are safe to be accessed by any local login.

Enable CLR integration

Use the CLR enabled option to specify whether user assemblies can be run by SQL Server. Check this option in order to allow assembly execution on SQL Server.

Enable remote dedicated administrator connection (DAC)

SQL Server provides a special diagnostic connection for administrators when standard connections to the server are not possible. This diagnostic connection allows an administrator to access SQL Server to execute diagnostic queries and troubleshoot problems even when SQL Server is not responding to standard connection requests.

Enable Database Mail

Database Mail is an enterprise solution for sending e-mail messages from the SQL Server Database Engine. Enable this option so that your database applications could send e-mail messages to users. The messages can contain query results, and can also include files from any resource on your network.

Enable using OLE Automation objects in Transact-SQL

Transact-SQL includes several system stored procedures that allow OLE Automation objects to be referenced in Transact-SQL batches, stored procedures, and triggers. These system stored procedures run as extended stored procedures, and the OLE Automation objects that are executed through the stored procedures run in the address space of an instance of the SQL Server Database Engine in the same way that an extended stored procedure runs.

Enable xp_cmdshell

The xp_cmdshell option is a server configuration option that enables system administrators to control whether the xp_cmdshell extended stored procedure can be executed on a system.

Enable SQL Mail

SQL Mail is provided in Microsoft SQL Server for backward compatibility. SQL Mail provides a mechanism to send, receive, delete, and process e-mail messages. Messages can be triggered to provide a recipient with a particular result set from a specified SQL Server query. SQL Mail also provides mechanisms to read or delete e-mail messages. Establishing a client connection with a mail server that implements Extended MAPI allows you to perform all of these operations.