Microsoft 64-Bit SQL Server Gets Closer

Microsoft

The database, code-named Liberty, was made available to qualified testers in mid-February. Before that, Microsoft allocated early alpha code to a small group of hardware OEMs and big customers.

This database, which blasts by the current 32-bit memory limitation, is targeted at decision-support, data-mining and other applications "where there's a large amount of disk thrashing or waiting for I/O," said Mitch Gatchalian, SQL Server program manager for Microsoft. "With almost quote-unquote unlimited virtual memory, you can load a lot more [data into memory and do a lot faster processing," he said.

With this software and the Windows.Net operating system, Microsoft hopes to erase perceptions that Wintel databases cannot compete with their Unix/RISC counterparts in high-end data-mining and decision-support applications.

For this beta, testers had to answer a questionnaire to qualify to receive the software. About 1,100 ISVs, corporate developers and OEM partners passed the test and are hammering on the code, said Gatchalian. The beta software runs on Windows Advanced Server, Limited Edition 1.1. Microsoft said the new database will ship 45 to 60 days after Windows.Net becomes available.

"What Liberty will take advantage of is large memory support. . . . We're looking for applications that will really need that capability and want to work with data sets larger than 4 gigabytes, which is the current 32-bit limitation," Gatchalian said.

"I'm sure we've tested up to 128 gigabytes of memory . . . and will possibly test 512-gigabyte configurations in the next 12 months," he said.

Large integrators in the Wintel camp are waiting for this opportunity.

"This is is a big play for us . . . It'll offer big performance in data mining. . . . When you can put the bulk of the data up into memory, you get performance that's orders of magnitude faster," said Rick Fricchione, vice president of Compaq Global Services' Enterprise Ready Microsoft group.

Gatchalian said the real payoff will come as Intel moves from the current Merced chip to McKinley later this year. At that time, "we'll see a big kick-up in performance . . . between the database and the hardware platform. I think we'll give the Unix guys a run for their money, " he said.