News
Microsoft Releases Beta 2 of JDBC Driver for SQL
- By Scott Bekker
- 01/30/2002
Microsoft Corp. is making progress on its JDBC driver for SQL Server 2000, the piece of code that gives Microsoft's flagship database a sanctioned connection to competing platforms.
Gordon Mangione, Microsoft vice president for SQL Server, announced on Tuesday at the Professional Association for SQL Server North America conference that the Beta 2 version of the JDBC or Java Database Connectivity driver was available for download. The driver can be found here.
Microsoft initially unveiled the driver in late September. It was a significant step because it is the first time Microsoft has formally included a driver for its SQL Server 2000 database that offers a connection to Java and the related J2EE development platform, which competes directly with Microsoft's own .NET platform.
Developers can use the driver with applications running on Windows, Sun Solaris, HP-UX, IBM AIX or Linux to access SQL Server databases.
The driver will be free for licensed customers of SQL Server 2000 when the final version becomes generally available in the spring.
New features of the Beta 2 release include support for additional data types and transactions as well as the foundation for Unicode and the double-byte character set in preparation for international support.
The driver technology Microsoft is using for the driver is licensed from a company called DataDirect Technologies, which was a division of Merant until Nov. 12.
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.