[sql] Selecting data from two different servers in SQL Server

Querying across 2 different databases is a distributed query. Here is a list of some techniques plus the pros and cons:

  1. Linked servers: Provide access to a wider variety of data sources than SQL Server replication provides
  2. Linked servers: Connect with data sources that replication does not support or which require ad hoc access
  3. Linked servers: Perform better than OPENDATASOURCE or OPENROWSET
  4. OPENDATASOURCE and OPENROWSET functions: Convenient for retrieving data from data sources on an ad hoc basis. OPENROWSET has BULK facilities as well that may/may not require a format file which might be fiddley
  5. OPENQUERY: Doesn't support variables
  6. All are T-SQL solutions. Relatively easy to implement and set up
  7. All are dependent on connection between source and destionation which might affect performance and scalability