REDMOND, Wash., June 22, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that leading developers of line-of-business solutions for small to midsize organizations are choosing Microsoft® SQL Server TM 7.0 as their development platform. Companies such as Solomon Software Inc., Scala Business Solutions N.V., GoldMine Software Corp., Exact Software, Multiactive Software Inc., ACCPAC International and Network Associates Inc. are moving to SQL Server to reduce development and support costs, reach a wider range of customers, and provide more reliable and scalable applications.
Microsoft today also launched its new Microsoft SQL Server Migration Center at http://www.microsoft.com/directaccess/products/catalog/sql/center.asp , providing a wealth of resources – including white papers, sample code and video – to facilitate the migration from Pervasive Btrieve to SQL Server 7.0. In addition, Microsoft is offering a special discount of approximately 50 percent off the suggested retail price* to Pervasive Btrieve users who upgrade to SQL Server 7.0. More information on this Competitive Upgrade Program can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/sql/productinfo/pricing.htm .
“Developers are moving to SQL Server 7.0 because it provides a more scalable and reliable platform combined with the ease of management required by small and midsize businesses,” said Douglas Leland, director of SQL Server Marketing at Microsoft. “A single scalable platform helps reduce development and support costs while enabling applications to scale as the performance needs of customers grow.”
Along with greater scalability and reliability, SQL Server provides auto-management and auto-tuning technologies and more than 25 management wizards, which significantly cut database overhead, making SQL Server an appropriate database solution for applications in smaller enterprises that may not have an in-house IT organization.
“Our Microsoft SQL Server-based product provides customers with a reliable solution that scales seamlessly as our customers’ businesses grow,” said Jon Ferrara, executive vice president, GoldMine. “In addition, the SQL Server self-management features significantly reduce the database administration requirements for our customers with a limited IT budget.”
Comprehensive Database Platform for Integrated Business Systems
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 provides a comprehensive platform for building and integrating line-of-business, data-warehousing, knowledge-management and electronic-commerce solutions. Many critical technologies, such as replication, heterogeneous query, data transformation services and OLAP services, are not available with Pervasive Btrieve database software, making it difficult for developers to integrate with or extend existing business systems.
“With Scala’s Global Series business solution on the SQL Server platform, our customers can integrate our e-commerce solution, Scala.Solutions, with their other business applications,” said Bjorn Eriksson, senior vice president of Scala Business Solutions. “As our customers become more sophisticated and realize the potential value of their data, they’re asking for our SQL Server-based solution. Pervasive Btrieve-based solutions don’t offer the same level of application integration and ease of access to corporate data.”
Developers Report Strong Customer Demand for SQL Server 7.0
Developers shipping applications today on SQL Server 7.0 report tremendous enthusiasm from their channel partners as well as strong customer demand. Solomon Software, a leading provider of midmarket financial and business management systems and the first midmarket accounting vendor to embed SQL Server 7.0, today announced a 58 percent increase in new sales of Solomon IV on SQL Server 7.0.
“Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 has provided the Team Rahal Indy car-racing team with easier, open access to the team’s financial data,” said Mike Silver, partner with SLSF Systems Management in Skokie, Ill. “They can now get up-to-the-minute cost information, expenditures and revenues quickly, wherever they need it, through a host of tools. SQL Server 7.0 provides the ability to tie into the team’s financial systems remotely while at a race or event. We had many problems getting remote connectivity to work under the old Pervasive SQL database. In addition, we have had more than 25 of our customers express interest in migrating from a Pervasive Btrieve database to Microsoft SQL Server since the release of SQL Server 7.0.”
SQL Server a World-Class RDBMS
Created by a world-class development team, Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 is the leading Windows NT® Server operating system-based database, bringing business advantage and improved decision-making to all levels of the 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, commerce and mobile solutions. Microsoft SQL Server is a member of the Microsoft BackOffice® family, a set of server software that makes it easy to build, manage and deploy powerful business solutions. Microsoft SQL Server is supported by a business community known as the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS). The group can be found on the Web at http://www.sqlpass.org/ .
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.
*Estimated retail price may vary.
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