September 15, 1997

Microsoft Enterprise Database May Be Late SQL Server users will lose out on NT Enterprise abilities By John Foley icrosoft says it's on schedule to deliver an enterprise edition of Windows NT 4.0 by month's end, but availability of the database tuned to take advantage of the upgrade may have slipped. Windows NT 4.0/Enterprise is near the end of its beta cycle, and the code is in the hands of 75 partners and customers as a "release candidate," says Mike Nash, director of marketing for NT Server. If those testers approve the code, NT 4.0/ Enterprise could be released to manufacturing any day, Nash says. The system will come bundled with Microsoft's Clu ster Server and support for up to eight microprocessors. Just last week, Vanstar Corp., an NT integrator in Atlanta, announced plans to double the size of its consulting operations to better support early adopters of Microsoft's enterprise products. However, SQL Server 6.5/Enterprise, a relational database designed to work with the operating system, may be delayed. Both products were announced in Mayand were scheduled for availability by the end of this month. But SQL Server 6.5/Enterprise "is possibly going to slip into the fourth quarter," says Doug Leland, lead product manager for SQL Server. The database should ship within 60 days, Leland adds. Any delay would mean that companies can't take full advantage of Microsoft's NT-based Enterprise platform. New features in SQL Server 6.5/Enterprise include two-node failover via Cluster Server, and additional memory for improved performance. Merv Adrian, an analyst with Giga Information Group, says the quality of the Microsoft Enterprise software i s a higher priority than meeting deadlines. "The most important thing is robustness and stability," he says. Microsoft's database team may be feeling the ripple effect of a delay. SQL Server product managers are backing away from earlier statements that a major upgrade, code-named Sphinx, would ship in the first half of next year. Sphinx is now described as a product for "calendar year 1998." The upgrade had originally been scheduled for general release this year. Back to News in Review Send Us Your Feedback Top of the Page

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