Microsoft Unveils SQL Server 2000, Windows 2000 Integration

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 13, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that the next major release of Microsoft® SQL Server TM , currently code-named
“Shiloh,” would officially be named SQL Server 2000. Microsoft also revealed the features within SQL Server 2000 that will take advantage of the Microsoft Windows® 2000 operating system, as well as the ways SQL Server 7.0 customers today can reap benefits from Windows 2000. SQL Server 2000 is due to ship in the first half of 2000. Already in beta testing with nearly 750 companies, SQL Server 2000 makes optimal use of new features and capabilities of Windows 2000 to offer dramatic improvements in the areas of scalability, reliability and manageability.

SQL Server 2000 is an integral part of Windows DNA 2000, a comprehensive, integrated platform for building and operating state-of-the-art distributed Web applications as well as the next wave of Internet-based Web services. Windows 2000 is the cornerstone of Windows DNA 2000.

“Windows DNA 2000 is the essential platform for enabling customers to seize opportunities offered by the next wave of Internet commerce, the Business Internet. The ability to easily and efficiently share data, components, business processes and applications over the Internet is central to what Windows DNA 2000 delivers,”
said Tod Nielsen, vice president of marketing for the Developer Group at Microsoft.
“SQL Server 2000, with its deep integration with Windows 2000 and the rest of the Windows DNA 2000 platform, will offer the fastest time to market and be the most flexible and manageable database for building the Business Internet.”

SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition and SQL Server 2000 — Built for Windows 2000

SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition offers scalability and availability up to the highest levels of the enterprise by taking full advantage of up to 64 GB of RAM, up to 32 processors, and four-node failover clustering supported out of the box with Windows 2000 Data Center.

For improved enterprise manageability, SQL Server 2000 uses Active Directory TM services in Windows 2000 as a single, unified repository for configuration, location and maintenance information. Integration of Active Directory gives database applications location independence, allows developers to build distributed applications more easily, and helps database administrators work more efficiently.

Applications may connect to a database by looking up registered information in Active Directory, allowing administrators to change the name or location of a database without having to update the application. Database administrators may use Active Directory to identify when people have installed new servers on the corporate network, when users have created new databases or OLAP cubes, or even when database software has been updated. Database administrators (DBAs) may even search in Active Directory to find what data is available for replication, without knowing the names or locations of any database servers. This integration offers enormous benefits by making it easier for DBAs and users to find, manage and share their important data assets.

Windows 2000 Delivers for Customers Running SQL Server Today

“When we migrated to Windows 2000, we saw a substantial increase in the speed of the SQL Server 7.0 databases,”
said David Banker, executive director of IT for SuperMarkets Online Inc., the online subsidiary of Catalina Marketing Corp. (NYSE
“POS”
).
“The upgrade to Windows 2000 lets us handle more traffic with the same amount of equipment, reducing our equipment costs.”

Customers running SQL Server 7.0 who upgrade to Windows 2000 can immediately benefit from the substantial performance and scalability improvements of Windows 2000. Already, there are hundreds of customers running SQL Server 7.0 on Windows 2000 for mission-critical line-of-business and Internet e-commerce applications.

In addition to these customers running SQL Server 7.0 in production on Windows 2000, Compaq Computer Corp. and Microsoft recently set a world record for the SAP R/3 standard retail benchmark with a result of 3.17 million order line items per hour. This was accomplished with SQL Server 7.0 Enterprise Edition running on Windows 2000 Advanced Server and a single Compaq ProLiant 8000 6/550-2M server with eight Intel Pentium III Xeon processors. The previous best result for this benchmark was 3.05 million order line items per hour and used the same hardware and software configuration with the exception of using Microsoft Windows NT® Server 4.0 Enterprise Edition. Moving to Windows 2000 Advanced Server produced an increase of more than 100,000 line items per hour. This scenario is equivalent to the workload generated by several thousand retail stores – or that of the largest retailers in the world.

Microsoft Windows 2000: Cornerstone of Windows DNA 2000

Microsoft Windows DNA 2000 is the comprehensive, integrated platform for building and deploying applications for the Business Internet. The core of Windows DNA 2000 is Windows 2000, an operating system with built-in Internet services that enable developers to spend time adding value to their applications rather than on the underlying plumbing. Other components include the Visual Studio® development system, SQL Server, the COM+ component and programming model, and other application services – all best-of-breed products that leverage the deepest developer talent pool in the industry. The Windows DNA 2000 platform is the fast, easy path to developing and deploying serious applications for the Business Internet.

MSDN Offers Access to Windows 2000 to Early Subscribers

Universal and Professional subscribers to the MSDN TM developer program will have early-bird access to the final release of Windows 2000 through the exclusive Subscribers Download site as well as the regular CD and DVD shipments. MSDN supports developers who are building applications and solutions for Windows DNA 2000 by providing the tools and information developers need to be successful:

  • MSDN Online Developer Centers. These developer centers, such as the Windows 2000 Developer Center and, launching Dec. 15, the SQL Developer Center, provide developers with tools and information for building Windows DNA solutions.

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Readiness Program for applications and developers. Over 2,600 companies have joined, resulting in over 1,600 applications compatible on Windows 2000 and another 5,100 planned to be compatible by the release of Windows 2000. This program is offered through the MSDN ISV Program.

  • MSDN training. This program currently provides two free online courses that offer developers the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in building solutions for Windows DNA 2000. Over 36,000 developers have participated. In addition, over 50,000 developers trained worldwide on Windows 2000 and Windows DNA at Microsoft Developer Days.

About SQL Server 7.0

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. SQL Server 7.0, with SQL Server OLAP Services, is

the only relational database management system to integrate essential data warehousing technology for multidimensional analysis. SQL Server is an integral part of the Windows DNA platform, Microsoft’s comprehensive platform for building Web applications. More information on Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 and solutions based on it can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/sql/ .

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft, Windows, Active Directory, Windows NT, Visual Studio and MSDN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries/regions.

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

For more information, press only:

Athena Neff, Waggener Edstrom, (425) 637-9097, [email protected]

Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom, (503) 443-7000, [email protected]

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

Updated on December 20, 1999

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