Eric M Russell (9/30/2013)
SQL Server has for the last couple of releases been extending beyond the traditional relational model for storing and retreiving data. For example, we now have support for indexed XML datatypes and Semantic query extensions on top of FullText engine, which extends the variety of data that can be effectively managed within a database. Analysis Services has been around since v7.0, and we could think of OLAP has a type of NoSQL solution. ColumnStore is promising as a "big table" solution (even though 2012 doesn't provide update capability).
And I still have as yet to come across a solution that provides SQL Server DB recovery in a decent time frame when the DB is holding binary, varbinary, extensive XML or similar data.
The use of the FSO model for data import is problematic. SSIS is fraught with problems including it's limited debugging options. BCP is ancient.
My last company, when I left over five years ago, had a 70GB DB filled with just the pointers to files (image, pdf, and office docs) on disk. The restore, for upgrades, was always a nightmare. The files on disk were past the 2TB size already.
Storage of binary data in a DB is zero option for me and always will be. If you want to buy into the M$ idea of Sharepoint and similar SW go for it. I don't.
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Jim P.
A little bit of this and a little byte of that can cause bloatware.