LAS VEGAS, Nov. 16, 1998 — Microsoft Corp. today announced early support from hundreds of industry-leading vendors for Microsoft® SQL Server
™
7.0, the new enterprise database software, at COMDEX/Fall ’98. Within 90 days, more than 300 independent software vendors (ISVs) worldwide will deliver SQL Server 7.0-based business applications in 20 vertical and horizontal industries. In addition, more than 20 major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), systems integrators and global technology companies will deliver integration and deployment services and software and hardware solutions for SQL Server 7.0.
Industry leaders have also reported breakthroughs in the performance of SQL Server 7.0. The latest series of benchmark tests from Compaq Computer Corp. show that SQL Server 7.0 delivers the highest performance for enterprise applications from The Baan Co. and PeopleSoft Inc. of any database on the Windows NT® operating system. SQL Server also delivers the best price/performance of any database and holds the top 20 positions on the TPC-C price/
performance list.
“SQL Server is absolutely critical to everything that Microsoft does with ISVs in the business applications market,”
said Charles Stevens, vice president of the application developers customer unit at Microsoft.
“The number of SQL Server-based applications has quadrupled in 18 months, and we expect even more dramatic growth with the breakthrough product that we have in SQL Server 7.0.”
Business Applications for Microsoft SQL Server
Leading ISVs are creating business applications for accounting, commerce, construction, customer management, data warehousing, document management, energy, engineering, enterprise resource planning (ERP), financial services, health care, hospitality, insurance, legal, justice and public safety, manufacturing, publishing, real estate and property management, retail, supply chain and utilities industries. More than 60 ISVs will demonstrate their applications for SQL Server 7.0 in the Microsoft Partner Pavilion during COMDEX/Fall ’98.
“Baan has endorsed SQL Server 7.0 as a premier platform because it delivers on the promise of a robust, easy-to-use database for Windows NT,”
said Tom Tinsley, CEO of Baan.
“At least 95 percent of our customer base can take advantage of Baan’s business software with SQL Server 7.0. It gives us the opportunity to provide our customers with a totally integrated solution at a lower price, a more predictable cost of implementation and a lower total cost of ownership.”
Breakthrough Performance Benchmarks
Major OEMs, including Compaq, Data General Corp., Dell Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM Corp. and Unisys Corp., have announced support and are demonstrating their readiness with tuned systems, tools, programs and services to help customers implement a wide range of mission-critical applications based on SQL Server 7.0.
Microsoft has worked closely with system vendors to deliver record benchmarks with SQL Server 7.0 for ERP software. New benchmarks were announced today: for PeopleSoft HRMS Online 7.5, 5,700 users; for PeopleSoft FS Online 7.0, 2,500 users. Baan also delivered record-setting benchmarks for SQL Server 7.0. These ERP application benchmark results were achieved with Compaq on a ProLiant 7000 server with four Pentium II Xeon processors, and each three-tier benchmark sets a new performance record on the Windows NT platform.
“The latest benchmark results clearly demonstrate the performance leadership of SQL Server 7.0,”
said Jim Ewel, director of SQL Server product management at Microsoft.
“This means that our customers can be sure that SQL Server 7.0 will meet the performance needs of their most demanding Windows NT-based mission-critical applications.”
Microsoft and Compaq recently announced the industry’s highest online backup and restore performance on Windows NT: 609 and 536 gigabytes per hour, respectively, with SQL Server 7.0. This benchmark test also demonstrated that the backup operation has a relatively small impact on transaction throughput, thus minimizing the need for a backup window. These average throughput results were achieved on an eight-processor Compaq AlphaServer 8400 server and 32 AIT tape drives.
Hewlett-Packard recently announced the highest single node TPC-C performance on Windows NT, of 20,223 tpmC and a price/performance of $31 per tpmC. This result was achieved on an HP NetServer LXr8000 server with four Pentium II Xeon processors. In addition, SQL Server holds the top 20 positions on the TPC-C price/performance list.
Global Technology Companies and Systems Integrators Support SQL Server 7.0
The world’s largest technology companies and systems integrators are incorporating SQL Server 7.0 into new and existing service practices to bring enterprise customers strategic solutions for running their businesses. These include solutions for electronic commerce, customer management, ERP, data warehousing, knowledge management, decision support and sales force automation. Supporting companies include Amdahl Corp., Arthur Andersen LLP, Cambridge Technology Partners Inc., Compaq Services, Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC), Data General Corp., Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS), Ernst & Young, ICL Retail Systems, KPMG Peat Marwick LLP, NCR Corp. and Unisys Corp.
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0
Created by a world-class development team, Microsoft SQL Server is a leading Windows NT Server-based database, bringing business advantage and improved decision-making to all levels of an organization through the power of data warehousing, industry solutions and integration with Microsoft Office. Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 enables independent software vendors and customers to build and deploy scalable database solutions for electronic commerce, line-of-business, mobile computing and data warehousing.
Microsoft Product Support Services
Support for SQL Server will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cost per incident will be $195 for the United States and Canada, billable to Visa, MasterCard or American Express. Customers can contact product support by calling (800) 936-5900 or accessing the Web at http://support.microsoft.com/support/webresponse.asp . Priority Annual and Premier support accounts are also available by visiting the Web at http://www.microsoft.com/support/ .
Microsoft TechNet
Microsoft TechNet is a key resource for in-depth information on Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 and other IT issues. Microsoft TechNet offers essential how-to information, tools and
resources for IT professionals to take full advantage of their Microsoft technology investments, stay current with new products and better engage with Microsoft and other IT professionals. In addition to the local quarterly briefings, Deploying and Managing SQL Server 7.0, that provide how-to technical information directly from systems engineers at Microsoft, TechNet also includes an informative Web site ( http://www.microsoft.com/technet/ ) and the TechNet CD-ROM subscription product for comprehensive technical information on Microsoft products. SQL Server 7.0 is featured as the headline news article on the Web site and includes a resource page ( http://www.microsoft.com/technet/resource/technet/
servers/sql/sql7.0.htm ) that lists technical information, training, books, online seminars and other information centered around SQL Server 7.0.
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