The new Microsoft Jim Gray Systems Lab is set up as a database research facility in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Computer Sciences Department. The Redmond company revealed that the new development center will be located in Madison, Wisconsin, and will be led by database pioneer, former department chair and Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin, David DeWitt. According to Microsoft, in his new role as a Technical Fellow, DeWitt will focus on developing the company's data management platform.

"The ability to give users real-time access to the most up-to-date data - any type of data - is the core of Microsoft's vision. We're at a pivotal point in the database industry, and our lab will be at the forefront of this rapidly changing environment. Data is the most critical organizational asset. The quantity and variety of data within most organizations are rapidly increasing, thanks to new technologies like digital images and video and RFID," DeWitt said.

Microsoft Jim Gray Systems Lab will deal with advanced core database systems research, in an effort to keep Microsoft as the forefront of the database evolution. DeWitt explained that the Redmond company is focused not only on providing support for new types of content, but also on delivering management capabilities and enabling users to take advantage of real-time access. At the same time, Microsoft aims to deliver businesses with a pervasive perspective over their content in order to streamline the decision making process.

"More specifically, the Lab will perform advanced development on Microsoft codebases to generate ideas about future directions for data management. We will be developing these ideas to the point where they can be implemented. The Lab will work closely with Microsoft researchers in Redmond and other locations. The Lab will follow a flexible model of innovation and incubation in which the Lab's staff will coordinate its work with Microsoft's core development teams, to ensure that we maximize the opportunity for learning and future integration," DeWitt concluded.