SQL Interview: 105 Database mail dependency on Exchange

SQL Interview: 105 Database mail dependency on Exchange

This is a post in the SQL Interview series. These aren’t trick or gotcha questions, they’re just questions designed to scope out a candidate’s knowledge around SQL Server and Azure SQL Database.

Section: Administration Level: Intro

Question:

You are configuring database mail so that applications can send emails.

Does database mail have a dependency on Microsoft Exchange ?

Answer:

No, Database Mail does not depend on Microsoft Exchange.

Database Mail in SQL Server:

  • Is an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) client built into SQL Server.
  • Sends emails through any standard SMTP server, not specifically Exchange.

2026-01-04