A lot of the answers here are to do the sql soap call.

Is there any reason we are not just connecting directly to the sql server?

Thanks,
-Alex

The question isn't so much should you than it is can you... you may still be using an EOL (I think 4..3 isn't but the rest is) version of CCM that uses SQL Server. If you reconfigure the SQL Server to mixed mode authentication, you can directly access the DB.. and as long as you respect the schema (available for download right on this page) and its constraints, you will be fine (I've done some clusterwide manipulation using sql server code that AXL refused to run.. not because it was dangerous but simply because there are limits to what you can do (e.g. creating temp tables, using cursors, the works)).

However, it may not be a good idea to start doing this now since it's only a question of when that SQL server is no longer an option. There will be no more Windows based CCM versions and the Linux based CCMs are all using the appliance model - meaning you have no access to the OS and any services and are limited to using the API for any operation. Thus, those complex operations with temp tables and cursors are no longer possible and you need to read out the data using executesqlquery, then do the processing in your application, and use executesqlupdate to write back any results (or use one of the other axl methods to make an update).

Even when you're still dealing with CCM4.. it will help you in your migration efforts if you use the API today (I've had to restart from scratch with some apps that used parts of the asp pages from CCM4).