September CTP is here as is Paul's letter
Yes. Yet another post about the SQL Server September CTP being available and Paul Flessner's letter. However, I wanted to let folks know that we did publish out all the languages of SQL Server with this CTP. So, if you are looking for the Spanish, French, German, etc version to test, grab a copy of developer edition in those languages.
I pre-briefed the MVPs yesterday on the news so that they would be prepared for any questions that folks have on what we're announcing. My biggest concern was that there would be confusion of what VS build to use with our September CTP. The answer is the VS RC that was just released. Lots of customers have been scratching their heads throughout the beta process asking this question. When you're working to integrate two beta products together, you sometimes get mismatches, especially when they use the same underlying technologies that may be in a phase shift between them.
The good news is that once we RTM, customers will very easily recognize that the RTM version of SQL Server 2005 works with the RTM version of VS 2005.
On a side note, hopefully some of you have been following the LINQ news. When the LINQ folks first showed me SQL integrated into the languages, my immediate feedback to them was that some early SQL Server 2005 customers thought that's what we meant when we said the CLR would be integrated into SQL Server. I think LINQ and some of the stuff Microsoft is doing in WinFS will take data to the next level for the developer. It's exciting to be part of the groups that are thinking of where we go in databases and information management for the next 10-20 years.
Finally, Dave Campbell is probably presenting right now on the future of data at PDC. We worked together on his deck and I'm debating writing a whitepaper based off the deck. There are some good ideas that we talked about but had to limit in scope in the session since it was only 1 hour and 15 minutes and it has 3 demos!
Well, time to get back to work. Enjoy the CTP, download the beta of WinFS and give us your feedback on all of that plus LINQ.