Microsoft Demonstrates Performance and Value Advantages of SQL Server 7.0 Enterprise Edition for Terabyte-Scale Business Problems

REDMOND, Wash., March 16, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today will demonstrate how customers can benefit from the integrated technologies in the Microsoft® business intelligence platform at the premier event of a new Web series titled
“Getting Results.”
As part of the first Web cast, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard Co. will unveil an innovative solution to the same business problem posed by Oracle Corp. in its million-dollar
“Challenge,”
matching Oracle’s performance – for less than one-sixteenth the cost.

Historically, business intelligence solutions have been characterized by expensive hardware and software systems, complex implementations and long delivery cycles, limiting their utilization. Today, Microsoft makes these solutions available to more customers through a business intelligence platform comprised of Microsoft SQL Server
™
and Microsoft Office that solves real-world business problems while providing lower cost, better integration and improved ease of use.

“Microsoft is changing the way organizations look at large-scale business intelligence solutions,”
said Douglas Leland, group product manager for Microsoft SQL Server.
“The old school of thought was that data warehousing had to be difficult and expensive to be useful; the innovations brought forth through the Microsoft business intelligence platform lead the way in ease of use and drive down the cost of ownership, making for a much faster return on investment.”

The Microsoft and HP Project

To demonstrate the value of the platform, Microsoft and HP worked together on an alternative approach to the Challenge. Using SQL Server 7.0 Enterprise Edition, SQL Server OLAP Services and HP’s NetServer LXr 8000 enterprise server system to build a 1 TB database, Microsoft solved the same business problem, obtaining remarkable results at a fraction of the cost of the Oracle solution – a $600,000 system vs. a $10 million system.

“Our joint test results prove that large-scale databases can be created, loaded, indexed and deployed with industry-standard technology at low cost,”
said Michael Mahon, manager of HP’s Software and System Development Lab.
“In the course of our optimization process with SQL Server 7.0, we have accomplished a tenfold increase in the size of our databases without added expense or development time. We are committed to continuing our joint efforts and passing our expertise along to our enterprise customers.”


Getting Results


: The Microsoft Business Intelligence Platform Series

The new
“Getting Results”
Web series will show customers how Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Office provide a comprehensive and cost-effective platform for creating business intelligence solutions. SQL Server 7.0 is the first client-server database to integrate key data warehousing technologies as standard components, such as OLAP, data transformation and meta-data management. The series will also focus on how customers and partners benefit from the Microsoft Data Warehousing Framework, a set of open interfaces and specifications that enable third parties to develop tightly integrated solutions which address a wide variety of customer problems. The combination of the improved integration and ease of use of the Microsoft business intelligence platform reduces acquisition, deployment and management costs for customers.

The first Web cast is at 11 a.m. PST on March 16, 1999, and will feature Jim Gray, senior researcher, Microsoft Research; Paul Flessner, general manager, Microsoft SQL Server development; and Michael Mahon of HP. The URL for the monthly event is http://www.microsoft.com/sql/gettingresults/ .

Created by a world-class development team, Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 is the 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 interoperability with Microsoft Office.

Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 enables independent software vendors and customers to build and deploy scalable database solutions for business intelligence, business operations, and commerce and mobile solutions. Microsoft SQL Server is a member of the Microsoft BackOffice® family, a set of servers that make it easy to build, manage and deploy powerful business solutions.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, Windows NT and BackOffice are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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