Microsoft is putting the finishing touches to the update
of its SQL Server relational database, due out in November. It said
that after the five-year wait since SQL Server 2000, the new
offering will boost performance.
Delegates at last week's Tech Ed conference were told Microsoft's
strategy for SQL Server 2005 is to address performance concerns
that have limited the use of its predecessor in the datacentre,
where Oracle and DB/2 are the preferred choice of databases that
power mission-critical business systems.
Mauro Meanti, general manager of the EMEA server division at
Microsoft, said, "We are focusing on the high end with SQL Server
to scale to the top 5% of enterprise users."
Such organisations have traditionally turned to Unix databases to
meet the demands of running global operations.
Euan Green, product manager for SQL Server, said users can expect a
boost in performance when multi-core chips, such as Intel's 64-bit
Monticeto, arrive.
"With Monticeto and x64 chips, what you will get out of two-way and
four-way servers will be tremendous," he said.
Green also discussed SQL Server management improvements. These
include database mirroring for automatic failover if the database
server crashes; a snapshot database restore facility and the
ability to install extra memory on a server running SQL Server 2005
on Windows Server 2003 without requiring a reboot.
Security is a priority, with high-risk database functions switched
off by default. Microsoft is also undertaking certification of SQL
Server 2005 under the US NSA EAL4+ programme, a high level of
security accreditation.
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