Data Development...

Database Technologies

Use the SQL Server Database Engine to create relational databases for online transaction processing or online analytical processing data.

Use SQL Azure to move your database to the cloud and SQL Server Compact to build standalone and occasionally connected applications for mobile devices, desktops, and Web clients.

.NET Technologies

Use the Entity Framework to easily access databases using LINQ, with direct access to SQL Server and the option to control the mapping between an Entity Data Model (EDM) and raw relational structures.

Use Data Services for a near-turnkey solution to easily create and consume OData services on both the web and intranet. Use PowerPivot for Excel to perform data analysis using the familiar toolset of Microsoft Excel.

Use the core ADO.NET technology to manually implement a data access layer on top of any data store, and System.Xml for XML access in .NET. Also see LINQ to SQL for access to SQL Server tables represented as objects.

Use the Sync Framework to enable offline access to any data type, any data store, any transfer protocol, and any network topology.

Application Services

Regardless of where your data is stored, you can depend on powerful technologies built into SQL Server, such as SQL Server Integration Services, SQL Server Reporting Services and SQL Server Service Broker to expand the power and scope of your applications.

SQL Server Analysis Services Data Mining and SQL Server Analysis Services Multidimensional Data are powerful tools for analyzing the data contained in your databases.

SQL Server Master Data Services enables you to create a single source of master data and maintain an auditable record of that data as it changes over time.

Look to SQL Server StreamInsight to quickly implement robust and highly efficient event processing applications.

Native and Cross-Platform Technologies

Depend on the MSXML technologies for working with XML.

Access a wide range of data sources via ODBC, OLE DB, and ADO using Windows Data Access Components (WDAC). Get high performance access to Microsoft SQL Server via ODBC and OLE DB connectivity with SQL Server Native Client.

The SQL Server JDBC Driver and the SQL Server Driver for PHP enable rich, scalable Java and PHP applications to access SQL Server databases.

Roadmap to the Future

Look to new features being planned for the Entity Framework and Data Services.

Look to the SQL Server Modeling technologies for new approaches to textual modeling (the code name "M" language), a new environment for building data-driven applications (code name "Quadrant"), and enterprise-level Modeling Services.