The structure of Denali consists of three tiers. Each of these tiers serves a specific purpose in the overall function of the system. When these tiers are combined, they provide the complete structure and scalability of Denali.

In this image, Tier 1 represents the SQL Server database (relational database) that stores and manipulates the data used by Denali. Tier 2 and Tier 3 are the components that make up Denali and function as data input and retrieval components. These components all work together and, depending on your networking needs, can be installed on different machines (refer to Different Installation Options).