Microsoft Patterns and Practices (yes, they are for SQL Server as well)

Microsoft’s Patterns and Practices for SQL Server is a great place to go and check out the proven MS ways to store, move, and access your data in a MS SQL Server environment.
I won’t go into too much detail here, but when developing large scale applications, using the Patterns and Practices for the Data and Application, can save a tremendous amount of time, and result in a more stable, and better performing system in the end.

If you have any questions, please feel free to post, and hopefully I can either help you from my own development experience or point you in the right direction.