SQL Server 2005 Improves Management, Enterprise Features

A new management suite and other manageability enhancements in SQL Server 2005 offer efficiency gains for database administrators. In addition, new high-availability features in the product’s high-end edition and improved replication could close the gap between SQL Server and rivals Oracle and IBM in the enterprise database market. Although SQL Server leads the database market in unit sales, it trails in enterprise revenue share and many of the product’s high-availability features already exist in market leader Oracle’s products. Furthermore, one of SQL Server 2005’s most anticipated high-availability features, database mirroring, is not supported in the product’s initial Nov. 2005 release.

New Tool Set Leads Management Changes

SQL Server 2005 offers several manageability enhancements that will simplify and streamline many day-to-day database maintenance tasks and activities. These enhancements will benefit SQL Server database administrators and could further boost one of SQL Server’s main advantages over competitors such as Oracle and IBM in the database market for small and midsize companies: ease of use. Microsoft’s continued focus on SQL Server’s management features could thwart Oracle’s attempts to move downmarket.