Developers have long struggled with the disparity of creating business applications that access and store data efficiently and the need to deliver data to users in an intelligible and usable format. Bridging this gap has often been the bane of a developer�s existence.

In Microsoft�s vision for data programmability, the company aims to make developers more efficient by enabling them to focus on building business solutions rather than spending valuable time on low-level data programming details.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 is at the center of this vision, along with the Entity Framework and LINQ-enabled data programming technologies that enable developers to work with conceptual data models in their programs. The company�s overarching goal is ultimately to make developers and IT departments more productive. SQL Server 2008 delivers on the Microsoft approach to Dynamic IT through its model-driven, policy-based management framework, as well as its user-focused approach to connect employees with the people, processes and information they need to drive results.

Set for release next year, the data management and analysis platform is designed to help companies efficiently access and manage rapidly increasing volumes of data for mission-critical applications. SQL Server 2008, combined with the .NET Framework, enables a new generation of dynamic development that allows developers to define and access their data using logical business entities instead of the physical tables and columns. Developers can also create a new breed of occasionally connected applications that can function while disconnected from the network. SQL Server 2008 also seeks to help organizations gain business insight and reduce difficulties associated with managing complex systems through an enterprise-class offering, which delivers increased functionality � from mobile devices to desktops to Web servers, up to the data center.

To help developers attending Tech�Ed 2007 and abroad learn more about SQL Server 2008 and Microsoft�s comprehensive vision for data programmability, PressPass spoke with Microsoft's Francois Ajenstat, Director of Product Management, SQL Server, and Britt Johnston, Director of Data Programmability; as well as Ed Worsfold, Director of Marketing from Dundas Visualization Inc.