Andy,

Are you asking why registry access in general is needed within SQL, or the SQL Server 2005 specific registry keys discussed in the article?

In some ways, the answer is the same. The registry controls how certain programs interact with their environment. Using SQL Server as an example, it specifies certain paths and options, such as the backup path and port options discussed in the article. If you want these options tweaked, you must either use sanctioned front-ends (assuming they are exposed there) or some kind of utility to do so. In my environment, getting those paths and options to be consistent across multiple instances was important enough that I wrote this utility.

For example, the backup path specifies where files will go if they're not fully qualified. This can make it much easier to backup using a DISK= statement.

Does that answer your question?