October 13, 2011 News Thursday: PASS Summit 2011 Special Edition

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Day 2 of the PASS Summit 2011 kicked off with Quentin Clark's keynote, where he detailed several announcements related to the public and private cloud, including:

  • General Availability of HP Enterprise Database Consolidation Appliance Optimized for SQL Server:  Microsoft and HP announced the November availability of the HP Enterprise Database Consolidation Appliance optimized for SQL Server, which offers a complete solution to speed deployment and simplify management of thousands of databases with a private cloud.  This first-in-the-industry database consolidation appliance helps customers deploy databases in minutes instead of weeks; reduces operations costs up to 75 percent through savings in floor space, energy, and infrastructure; and requires no application or database changes when consolidating databases.
  • New SQL Azure CTPs and features: 
    • First Public CTP of SQL Azure Reporting: enables developers to use familiar tools to create and deploy operational reports to the cloud, which can easily be embedded in an application or browser.
    • New CTP of SQL Azure Data Sync: enables easier sharing and synchronization between multiple SQL Server and SQL Azure databases enabling customers to extend their enterprise data to the cloud and synchronize data between SQL Azure databases for geo-availability. 
    • Announcement of SQL Azure Federation:  a new capability that allows developers to build scale-out applications across multiple databases, which will be available by the end of 2011.
    • Newly increased 150GB database capacity for SQL Azure. Available by the end of 2011 in the next SQL Azure Service Release. Learn more at: https://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/sqlazure/
  • SQL Server 2012 snapshot to Windows Azure Platform: Microsoft also shared that SQL Server 2012 will enable customers to easily back up their SQL Server databases directly to the Windows Azure Platform, providing customers with cloud based solution for database backup.
  • CTP of the ODBC Linux driver: Will further Microsoft’s commitment to interoperability by enabling customers with Linux-based applications  to more easily migrate to SQL Server. The CTP is expected by the end of the calendar year.

More information on technologies and investments at the PASS Summit 2011 and related news can be found at: www.microsoft.com/presspass and www.microsoft.com/sqlserver.