14 DAY TRIAL // Not only will Microsoft not have wrapped up its "server homework" by February 27, but that while lateness was a given, the company is pushing even further back into 2008 the availability of one of the products scheduled for launch next month. At the end of February, Microsoft has planned the Heroes Happen Here launch event for Visual Studio 2008, Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008, codenamed Katmai. At this time, Visual Studio 2008 is the sole product out of the three that was released to manufacturing. Windows Server 2008 missed its RTM date at the end of 2007, and is now expected to RTM in early February.
On top of it all, SQL Server 2008 will only be available as a feature complete Community Technology Preview on February 2008, revealed Francois Ajenstat, director of SQL Server Product Management. Ajenstat pointed that there have been in excess of 100,000 downloads of codename Katmai, and that the feedback has been positive from the scalability enhancements to Resource Governor, filestream, but also from spatial data support, data compression and to policy-based management. Still, the successor of SQL Server 2005 will not mark a complete step further for Microsoft, as far as the company's data platform and business intelligence vision are concerned until the second half of 2008.
"We want to provide clarification on the roadmap for SQL Server 2008. Over the coming months, customers and partners can look forward to significant product milestones for SQL Server. Microsoft is excited to deliver a feature complete CTP during the Heroes Happen Here launch wave and a release candidate (RC) in Q2 calendar year 2008, with final Release to manufacturing (RTM) of SQL Server 2008 expected in Q3. Our goal is to deliver the highest quality product possible and we simply want to use the time to meet the high bar that you, our customers, expect," Ajenstat said, explaining that the RTM date was pushed back due to quality concerns.