SQL Server and Visual Studio get updated
Published: 08 Nov 2005 10:35 GMT
After a number of delays, Microsoft on Monday launched long-awaited updates to its flagship database programs and developer tools.
Chief executive Steve Ballmer officially launched SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005, along with a new beta of the company's BizTalk Server software, at an event at the Moscone West convention centre in San Francisco.
Ballmer said that the new versions represent major advances, but acknowledged they were "a little bit long in coming". It's been five years, for example, since Microsoft released the last version of SQL Server.
"A [shorter] cycle time would be appropriate," Ballmer said.
In addition to the standard products, Microsoft announced a free stripped-down version of SQL Server and a $49 express version of Visual Studio. Oracle last week said it was making a free, limited version of its database available.
"Our goal with this set of releases is to have something for everybody," Ballmer said. "We haven't forgotten the broadest set of developers we have, which are these Web developers, students and hobbyists."
Microsoft also introduced a Workgroup edition of its SQL Server product for small businesses, which costs just over £2,000 per processor.
The Standard Edition of SQL Server went up in price from around £3,000 per processor to around £3,500, and its Enterprise Edition price remains the same at around £14,000 per processor.
Alongside the main Visual Studio 2005, Microsoft introduced a high-end edition called Team System, which is aimed at groups of programmers, testers and architects. Visual Studio 2005 Team Suite starts at almost £6,500 and is used with server software components that range in price from about £300 to £3,000.
Microsoft said late last month that it had wrapped up development on the Visual Studio and SQL Server updates.
BizTalk 2006, which is in beta now and will be available in the first half of next year, is designed for linking different applications. Microsoft had originally been aiming to get the final version of the software out by the first quarter of next year, but an executive said the company made the timing change "to set expectations conservatively so we can be sure we can meet them." The integration software sends data between different applications and completes tasks, such as converting between different document formats.
On Monday, Microsoft said that the adapters to different packaged applications, including Oracle eBusiness Suite, Peoplesoft and Siebel, will be available for free with BizTalk 2006.
BizTalk 2006 will build in more capabilities around automating workflow and be designed to collect and process data from radio frequency ID readers, according to company executives.
Ballmer: No job too big
Ballmer used part of his keynote to talk of the gains that Microsoft
had made in being able to handle tasks that were previously limited to
Unix-based servers and mainframes.
"Today we should be able to convince you...
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