--- title: "SQL Server Native Client Features | Microsoft Docs" ms.custom: "" ms.date: "03/17/2017" ms.prod: "sql-server-2016" ms.reviewer: "" ms.suite: "" ms.technology: - "docset-sql-devref" ms.tgt_pltfrm: "" ms.topic: "reference" helpviewer_keywords: - "MDAC [SQL Server]" - "SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver, about SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver" - "SQLNCLI, about SQL Server Native Client" - "data access [SQL Server Native Client], features" ms.assetid: 7bb32865-5afb-41ab-98b4-3fa545ee8953 caps.latest.revision: 59 author: "JennieHubbard" ms.author: "jhubbard" manager: "jhubbard" --- # SQL Server Native Client Features [!INCLUDE[SNAC_Deprecated](../../../includes/snac-deprecated.md)] In addition to exposing features of the Windows (formerly Microsoft) Data Access Components (WDAC), [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client also implements many other features to expose [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] functionality. ## In This Section [ODBC Driver Behavior Change When Handling Character Conversions](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/odbc-driver-behavior-change-when-handling-character-conversions.md) Discusses a change of behavior beginning in [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] 2012 Native Client. [Using Database Mirroring](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/using-database-mirroring.md) Discusses how [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client supports the use of mirrored databases, which is the ability to keep a copy, or mirror, of a [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] database on a standby server. [Performing Asynchronous Operations](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/performing-asynchronous-operations.md) Discusses how [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client supports asynchronous operations, which is the ability to return immediately without blocking on the calling thread. [Using Multiple Active Result Sets (MARS)](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/using-multiple-active-result-sets-mars.md) Discusses how [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client supports multiple active result sets (MARS). MARS enables you to execute and receive multiple result sets using a single database connection [Using XML Data Types](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/using-xml-data-types.md) Discusses how [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client supports the XML data type, which is a XML-based data type that can be used as a column type, variable type, parameter type, or function return type. [Using User-Defined Types](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/using-user-defined-types.md) Discusses how [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client supports User-Defined Types (UDT), which extends the SQL type system by allowing you to store objects and custom data structures in a [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] database. [Using Large Value Types](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/using-large-value-types.md) Discusses how [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client supports large value data types, which are large object data types (LOB). [Changing Passwords Programmatically](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/changing-passwords-programmatically.md) Discusses how [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client supports the handling of expired passwords so that passwords can now be changed on the client without administrator involvement. [Working with Snapshot Isolation](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/working-with-snapshot-isolation.md) Discusses how [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client supports the enhancement to row versioning that improves database performance by avoiding reader-writer blocking scenarios. [Working with Query Notifications](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/working-with-query-notifications.md) Discusses how [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client supports consumer notification on rowset modification. [Performing Bulk Copy Operations](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/performing-bulk-copy-operations.md) Discusses how [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client supports bulk copy operations that allow the transfer of large amounts of data into or out of a [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] table or view. [Using Encryption Without Validation](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/using-encryption-without-validation.md) Discusses how to use [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client to encrypt data sent to the server without validating the certificate. [Table-Valued Parameters (SQL Server Native Client)](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/table-valued-parameters-sql-server-native-client.md) Discusses [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client support for the table-valued parameters. [Large CLR User-Defined Types](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/large-clr-user-defined-types.md) Discusses support for large common language runtime (CLR) user-defined types (UDTs). [FILESTREAM Support](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/filestream-support.md) Discusses [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client support for the enhanced FILESTREAM feature. [Service Principal Name (SPN) Support in Client Connections](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/service-principal-name-spn-support-in-client-connections.md) Discusses how support for service principal names (SPNs) has been extended to enable mutual authentication across all protocols. [Sparse Columns Support in SQL Server Native Client](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/sparse-columns-support-in-sql-server-native-client.md) Discusses [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client support for sparse columns. [Date and Time Improvements](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/date-and-time-improvements.md) Discusses support added to [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client for the date and time data types. [Metadata Discovery](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/metadata-discovery.md) Discusses metadata discovery improvements that were made in [!INCLUDE[ssSQL11](../../../includes/sssql11-md.md)]. [UTF-16 Support in SQL Server Native Client 11.0](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/utf-16-support-in-sql-server-native-client-11-0.md) Discusses a behavior change introduced in [!INCLUDE[ssSQL11](../../../includes/sssql11-md.md)]. If you supply a fixed-length buffer when binding a column result or output parameter and if the **wchar** character written into the buffer before the terminating character is a high surrogate code point of a surrogate pair, and if the next **wchar** character is a low surrogate code point, [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client will not add the high surrogate code point to the buffer. [SQL Server Native Client Support for High Availability, Disaster Recovery](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/sql-server-native-client-support-for-high-availability-disaster-recovery.md) Discusses how your application can be configured to take advantage of the high-availability, disaster recovery features added in [!INCLUDE[ssSQL11](../../../includes/sssql11-md.md)]. [Accessing Diagnostic Information in the Extended Events Log](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/accessing-diagnostic-information-in-the-extended-events-log.md) Discusses enhancements to [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client and data tracing that gives you access to diagnostic information in the ring buffer and XEvents log. [SQL Server Native Client Support for LocalDB](../../../relational-databases/native-client/features/sql-server-native-client-support-for-localdb.md) Discusses [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Native Client support for the LocalDB feature. ## See Also [SQL Server Native Client Programming](../../../relational-databases/native-client/sql-server-native-client-programming.md) [ODBC How-to Topics](../../../relational-databases/native-client-odbc-how-to/odbc-how-to-topics.md) [OLE DB How-to Topics](../../../relational-databases/native-client-ole-db-how-to/ole-db-how-to-topics.md) [Installing SQL Server Native Client](../../../relational-databases/native-client/applications/installing-sql-server-native-client.md)