The first SQL Server 2008 Community Technology Preview (CTP) is available for download, and the Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 is expected to be available later this summer, and will include the Visual Studio Shell, a new offering that enables developers to create and distribute their own custom tools built on top of the Visual Studio IDE.
Two other recent releases were also highlighted – the first public beta of the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, and a CTP of BizTalk Services, that supports Microsoft’s “real-world” approach to service-oriented architecture (SOA). Microsoft is aiming to deliver BizTalk Server 2006 R2 in the third quarter of 2007. As well as providing radio frequency identification (RFID) infrastructure and native support for electronic data interchange (EDI), it will include new technologies for integrating the .NET Framework 3.0, the 2007 Microsoft Office system, and Vista. Beta 2 of the product is already available.
Microsoft also announced its acquisition of Dundas’ Data Visualization products, which will be used to provide rich charting within SQL Server Reporting Services, enabling users to create graphics-based reports and applications.
Also new is the Open XML SDK, intended to help with the problem of creating Office Business Applications (OBAs). It provides facilities for the creation of documents programmatically, customising parts within documents, adding and inspecting custom XML within documents, and working with and customising document properties. The SDK is available for free from the Office Developer Center.
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