New Visual Studio, SQL Server Launch
With musical support from Cheap Trick, Microsoft heralded the arrival of Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 at a special "Rock" event in San Francisco Monday. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage looking uncharacteristic in a suit, and even apologized for his formal attire.
Both SQL Server, which was last updated five years ago, and Visual Studio 2005 are critical releases for Microsoft as it gears up for the debut of Windows Vista next year. The development tools, combined with .NET Framework 2.0, will usher in the next-generation of applications that focus on connectivity and streamlining business processes.
Specifically, Visual Studio 2005 boasts improved performance and security to build what Microsoft calls "enterprise-grade" applications, along with a new Team System element to facilitate collaboration within a development group. But Visual Studio Team System won't come cheap, with pricing starting at $10,939.
Ballmer admitted that SQL Server 2005 was "a little bit long in coming," but emphasized the major changes in the release.
Microsoft's flagship database can now handle up to 93,000 concurrent users, and integration with .NET Framework 2.0 brings "183 percent better performance than equivalently coded EJB-applications running on IBM WebSphere 6.0 against and Oracle 10G backend," Microsoft says.
Business intelligence has also taken center stage in SQL Server 2005. Microsoft has added built-in reporting and data analysis tools and will soon launch Business Scorecard Manager 2005 to extend that functionality. SQL Server will also offer better integration with Microsoft Office and Visual Studio.
"Through deep collaboration with our customers and partners, today we're delivering powerful new platform capabilities with unprecedented integration between the server infrastructure and development tools," Ballmer said in a statement. "We're enabling people to gain more insight into their businesses and play an even bigger role in the success of their organizations."
Despite businesses waiting through numerous delays to see the new products come to fruition, Microsoft must still convince them of the benefits, says Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Wilcox.
"Cross-integration is either going to appeal to customers or it's going to drive them away. Conceptually, customers can reap huge benefits from the feature cross-integration," explained Wilcox. "But, assuming that cross-integrated features really work well, product A will need Products B, C or D for businesses to recognize the real feature benefits."
As previously announced, Microsoft has reworked its product editions for SQL Server 2005. Workgroup Edition is priced at $3,899 per processor, with the Standard release now running $1,000 more at $5,999. SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition remains the same at $24,999 per processor.
However, Microsoft will make available a free "Express" version of SQL Server 2005 to developers and for non-commercial use. Visual Studio 2005 Express, meanwhile, will run $49 USD.