Today, Microsoft Corp. announced that Microsoft� SQL Server� 2000 is the leading database on the Windows� and Windows NT� platforms, according to preliminary results released by Gartner Dataquest. The report indicates that SQL Server grew to 40 percent of new database license sales on the Windows Server platform in 2001. In addition, database license sales for the Windows platform segment grew a total of 11 percent, showing the strongest segment growth in database license sales. Overall, in a down year for the technology sector, SQL Server has grown 30 percent in year-over-year new license sales.

"We have seen phenomenal growth from SQL Server in the past few years," said Gordon Mangione, corporate vice president of the SQL Server team at Microsoft. "We expect this growth to continue with SQL Server because of its better functionality, scalability and return on investment. We are also seeing customers, from small businesses to large enterprises, migrating from both Oracle and IBM to SQL Server. Customers are tired of overpaying for other products, and database administrators are spending too many hours managing those products. They want better, they want smarter, they want SQL Server."