Microsoft sets launch date for Visual Studio, SQL Server and BizTalk Server

By Alun Williams

Posted on 9 Jun 2005 at 13:07

Microsoft has set the date for its long awaited release of Visual Studio and SQL Server, the week beginning 7 November. This confirms an announcement from earlier in the year - Microsoft delays major developer tools and database releases.

As well as its flagship software development suite, the venerable Visual Studio, and the next-generation version of its enterprise-scale database system, SQL Server, Microsoft will also release its business process management software, BizTalk Server 2006.

The announcement was made at the second day of TechEd 2005 - currently running in Orlando, Florida - as part of the keynote of Paul Flessner, senior VP of Server Applications at Microsoft.

'Our goal is to empower customers to act on data and applications so they can drive revenue growth as they never thought possible before,' said Flessner. 'By delivering an application platform for connected systems, these products will help jump-start growth in IT by enabling customers and partners to utilise new tools to increase operational efficiencies and become more competitive through greater insight into their business.'

During his keynote, Flessner also highlighted the first public Community Technology Preview (CTP) for SQL Server 2005 and a new SQL Server Migration Assistant.

In the distant past this 'Yukon' release of SQL Server (originally scheduled for the summer of 2003) was to be the relational database heart of Longhorn and a revolutionary new approach to handling files and data within the Windows operation system. The promised functionality of Longhorn has since been pared back, of course, and the next-generation release of Windows is not expected until sometime in 2006.

The new version of Visual Studio, codenamed Orcas, will be accompanied by a Team System counterpart, which is aimed at helping different groups within a development team work together more effectively.

The suite will help manage the software lifecycle, from modelling and requirements analysis to integrated deployment tools.