In a letter to SQL Server 2005 beta testers, Microsoft senior vice president Paul Flessner mentioned a summer 2005 release, which in the software industry generally means late August or early September.
In March this year, Microsoft pegged SQL Server 2005’s date as the first half of 2005 – itself a delay, as the database was scheduled for the end of this year. Also delayed, according to Flessner’s letter, is the third SQL Server 2005 beta, which was due by the end of this year and which is now scheduled for the first quarter of next.
Flessner’s letter also hints at the prospect of SQL Server’s summer delivery slipping, saying delivery will depend on customer and partner feedback, successful external customer deployments, and successful internal Microsoft IT deployments.
Microsoft currently has 20 applications, including SAP payroll, on SQL Server 2005, with plans to put a further 30 applications into production before the database’s release.
With SQL Server 2005 slipping, though, Microsoft is delivering the first in a series of Community Technology Previews (CTPs), interim builds of the database. A company spokesperson said Microsoft would release up to two more CTPs.
Flessner said in his letter: CTP is not a formal beta release, it provides you with an opportunity to preview changes coming in Beta 3 and to provide the development team with feedback.
SQL Server 2005 is one of Microsoft’s most significant database releases, integrating for the first time with the .NET Framework and allowing developers to build database applications and procedures from inside Visual Studio 2005 using C Sharp, for example, instead of the time honored, and slightly esoteric, TSQL.
