Mulling Microsoft Mysteries

First: After Commerce Server 2006, what???

Microsoft is gearing up for its planned July launch of Commerce Server 2006. What they're not talking about is the roadmap—or lack thereof—for subsequent releases.

That may be because, sources say, there will not be follow up Commerce Server "SKUs" for lack of a better term. Instead, they expect that core Commerce Server functionality will flow into subsequent versions of BizTalk Server and other foundational Microsoft offerings.

Indeed, one of the major design goals for Commerce Server 2006 is tighter integration with BizTalk Server 2006 and ASP.net 2.0. Maybe they'll integrate Commerce Server completely out of the picture?

Microsoft may be shy about talking server strategies especially since they have been in such a flux. Remember Discovery?

Or how about the Sharepoint/Content Management shuffle?

Here is the official e-mailed response from Ryan Donovan, product unit manager for Commerce Server to a question on Commerce Server futures:

Now, is that a confirmation of a lack of future servers, a denial, or both? Thoughts?

Second: How is Microsoft "image-enabling" its data store/database?

It's clear this is in the plan for the so-called "Katmai" wave.

Sources say they expect Microsoft to add support for new native data types—say for geographic information systems, presence metadata, etc.) into a SQL Server 2005 Service Pack. (most likely SP 2). That support will then roll over into WinFS (remember WinFS???) when its time comes. WinFS, in theory, will underlie SQL access manager. BUT, if delays continue, then more and more native data types will be added to the database over time.

The official response on this? Microsoft's "vision is extending support for different data types and part of what Paul [Flessner] discussed about SQL Server Everywhere, is the lightweight local stores where data resides or is captured, not all just centralized data store." This from Carol Dullmeyer, product manager for SQL Server. Paul Flessner, is Microsoft's senior VP of data and storage platforms.

The vision, Dullmeyer says, is to have "rich data appearing in many points and synchronizing it, depending on the nature of the business. We could incrementally role out support for different formats," she noted.

The game plan now, and it sounds like a shift to many (well to me anyway), is that instead of a monolithic, gigantic WinFS, there's more incremental addition of data types to existing stores and databases and a dispersed, (or as IBM would say, "federated") set of data stores. The plan now is evolutionary vs. revolutionary.

"Paul's commitment is to avoid market disruption," Dullmeyer said.

Would love your take on any and all of this. Drop a line to: [email protected]