Monitoring database activities from outside SQL Server

Hi,

I want to know how can I monitor some operations that are executed on a SQL Server database. Operations like: INSERT, DELETE, UPDATE, transactions, and so on (I know that I can do this using triggers, but doing this way I'll have to fill a table with the information from the triggers and stay loading the table data all the time. I want a way to monitor using other resources, in realtime).

My idea is to build a program to monitor these activities (developed in C# to be more exactly). How can I do this?

Thanks

PS: I know that we already have commercial products to do this, but I need to develop one.

WHy not just use a trace and export it to whatever external app you want to review?

I usually create my traces using sp_**trace, then I've set up external apps to call the trace and view the results.

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The problem is...if I create some triggers and Stored Procedures, my program will have to stay selecting data for long cycles. I'd like to have something automated, so when something occurs, automatically my program understands it.

Must have a way to do this, because I think SQL Profiler wouldn't use SELECTs to get Performance and Counting info.