Big data transformation is going to have a revolutionary impact on businesses, according to Microsoft Technical Fellow, David Campbell.

Microsoft on Tuesday will unveil the first developer preview of "Denali," the next major release of SQL Server, and will start shipping a data warehouse appliance stemming from its 2008 acquisition of DATAllegro. 

Due to an early emphasis on getting the right architecture for its Azure cloud platform, which went live in February, Microsoft's cloud service is still missing key features that are available in the company's standalone products, said Microsoft executives at the company's 2010 Tech Ed conference, being held this week in New Orleans.

Microsoft plans to invest heavily in its cloud platform but expects to see little revenue for two to three years, Bob Muglia, the president of the server and tools business, said Tuesday.

Microsoft and Swiss banking systems provider Temenos have joined forces to push SQL Server in the banking sector, the companies said on Thursday.

Explorers in Australia now have access to a new Google Maps application that allows them to organise and book a road trip anywhere within the country through one central website.

Microsoft Corp. today acknowledged that it had "absolutely" considered replacing the maligned storage engine in its Exchange e-mail server software with its SQL Server database.

IBM on Wednesday released Version 9.7 of its flagship DB2 database with several notable new features, including the ability to run applications written for other databases, especially Oracle Corp.'s.