Users of Microsoft Corp.s SQL Server 2000 database can now code from inside the .NET framework, with a new plug-in that gives a look at whats to come with the eventual successor to SQL Server.
SQLXML 2.0, which is a free download for SQL Server 2000 customers, was announced this week in a keynote speech by Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates, at the companys Professional Developers Conference, in Los Angeles.
It makes SQL features accessible to developers when they use Visual Studio .NET, said SQL Server lead product manager Jeff Ressler.
Its also compatible with the World Wide Web Consortiums forthcoming XML (Extensible Markup Language) schema definitions, and supports mid-tier development, which makes the database faster and more scalable because multiple XML application requests can now access it at once, Ressler said. The changes are a sign of whats to come in SQL Servers next version, Yukon, which will be in beta next year and will ship in 2003.
“We are going to go even further in Yukon,” which will be in beta next year and will launch in 2003, Ressler said. “Were going to make the bulk of Yukon features accessible from Visual Studio .NET,” not just the XML features as is the case for SQL Server.
Also, developers will be able to code SQL from inside .NET itself, in any language .NET supports, not just the structured query language itself. J#, which is Microsofts version of Java for the .NET framework, is also a supported language. Supporting SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is “the next logical step,” he said.
“Well be in position to say what were doing pretty soon. Before the end of the year, for sure,” Ressler said, referring to a more thorough outline of Yukons new features.