Non-SQL API for SQL Server?

Is there any sort of non-SQL API for talking to SQL Server? I'm curious if there is a more direct way to retrieve table or view data.

(I don't have a probl开发者_如何学运维em with SQL, just curious if any of the layer between the SQL parser and the underlying data store is exposed.)

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No, not as part of the actual SQL Server product, you'd have to install some other application to present/map the data in the manner you're after. But that would probably have to use SQL to get the data itself, defeating your intention.

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Your best bet for retrieving data is SQL, but if you're interested in the plumbing you could look at TDS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabular_Data_Stream

You could look at the FreeTDS library: http://www.freetds.org/faq.html