Stories by Eric Lai

Microsoft plans major SQL Server upgrade

At a recent conference for users of its SQL Server database, Microsoft officials demonstrated an upcoming tool the company says will enable database administrators to manage hundreds of database servers at a time.

Tech predators eye their prey in volatile times

While most eyes are still on stopping the bleeding on Wall Street, smart tech companies will take a page out of Warren Buffet's playbook by looking for merger and acquisition opportunities with stocks at multi-year lows.

eBay may offer BI-as-a-service to companies

eBay, which runs a gigantic data warehouse for internal business intelligence (BI) analytics, is considering taking it outside its firewall and offering it as a Web service to interested companies.

Microsoft aims to deliver low-cost analytic mashups

SQL Server may be one of the most popular databases today, but Microsoft nevertheless remains a laggard in the business intelligence market. It ranked just fifth among BI vendors last year, according to research firm IDC.

Microsoft scales out SQL Server 2008

Microsoft will take its SQL Server 2008 database into the large data warehousing market by 2010 as it integrates technology from DATAllegro, which it acquired earlier this year.

New Oracle-HP hardware faces scrutiny

Oracle's annual OpenWorld show is usually a showcase for its enterprise software. This year, however, it was all about hardware, as CEO Larry Ellison introduced a new family of database/storage products that it had been working on with partner Hewlett-Packard for three years.

Oracle app development chief leaves

A top executive at Oracle in charge of application development has left the company, according to reports, raising questions about the status of its high-profile Fusion applications project as its annual OpenWorld conference nears.

Microsoft's Vista may still have its day

Twenty-one months after its initial release, what do we know about Windows Vista? That home users hate it, businesses are uninstalling it and — according to Gartner — it's proof that the 23-year-old Windows line is "collapsing" under its own weight.

Petabyte database will track meteors

Our fascination with the prospect of asteroids smashing into the Earth is as deep as the craters that can result from such cosmic fireballs. Think of all the movies Hollywood has made, from little-seen B flicks such as A Fire in the Sky to scientifically shaky blockbusters such as Meteor and Armageddon.

Reports: Windows Live Messenger getting WPF-based makeover

The upcoming Windows Live Messenger 9.0 will sport a revamped user interface based on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) graphical technology, according to published reports that include purported screenshots of the instant messaging software.

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