Microsoft will this month release Visual Studio 2005
Team Foundation Server, a code development platform designed to
help maintain the quality of application code.
Team Foundation Server is an application lifecycle management
(ALM) platform, co-ordinating code development processes among
teams of programmers who are using Visual Studio 2005 Team System
client, which is already available.
Team Foundation Server replaces the application version control
tool Visual Sourcesafe and folds five databases into a single
datawarehouse using an SQL Server database as the central data
repository for code and project information.
Team Foundation Server supports software development with
version control, reporting, work item tracking, process guidance
and automated build capabilities.
The drive towards ALM - which aims to address the need of
corporate users' to better manage extended and often
geographically-dispersed development teams - has been welcomed by
analysts.
Bola Rotibi, senior analyst for software development strategy at
Ovum, said the platform marked Microsoft's first real step toward
its Digital Systems Initiative (DSI), which focuses on business
method modelling and process automation.
She added that developers will benefit from the tight
integration with the Visual Studio environment, meaning they can
stay in their environment to accomplish different code maintenance
tasks.
It also allows programmers to access data held in Microsoft
Excel and Project, which is useful from a management perspective,
said Rotibi.
Another strength is Team Foundation Server's ability to tie
together the pre-deployment and production environments, using a
logical datacentre diagram onto which developers can map the
configuration of the physical datacentre to help optimise their
code. It uses a concept called shelving, allowing programmers to
work locally and check into the Team Foundation Server without
affecting the build of the software.
Rotibi said, "It has long been a complaint that developers work
in silos with no regard for what other roles do. Team Foundation
negates that and allows developers to work on their own environment
but also work together, bringing a context to their work."
What it will cost you
Team Foundation Server is priced at £1,878 per SQL Server
instance, allowing content to be viewed for free. Users require a
Client Access Licence (£289) to interact with content.
There are three versions of the main Visual Studio Team 2005
System client: Team Edition for software testers, Team Edition for
software developers and Team Edition for software architects, each
licensed at £3,670.
A single licence includes a five-seat Client Access Licence for
Team Foundation Server if the user also takes out a subscription to
Microsoft's developer support programme - MSDN Premium - which is
included in the price.