Microsoft Releases 64-bit SQL Database

Computerworld - Microsoft Corp. has released a 64-bit database and claims that the new system features performance rivaling that of Unix-based systems yet offers greater ease of use and at a lower cost.
In conjunction with the launch of Windows Server 2003, Microsoft last week announced that it's shipping the 64-bit SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition. With the move, Microsoft follows in the footsteps of Oracle Corp. and IBM, which have offered 64-bit versions of their databases for Unix and mainframe systems for years.
Oracle, meanwhile, announced the availability of a version of Oracle9i Database Release 2 that's optimized for 64-bit Windows Server 2003.
Microsoft's 64-bit version of its SQL Server database gives high-end database users an alternative to Unix, said Sheryl Tullis, Microsoft's product manager for SQL Server. "For customers that need high-powered computing, this makes it attainable without the upfront maintenance and management costs of Unix systems," she said.
Tests indicate that the database will have 512GB of addressable memory, double what was available under 32-bit SQL Server.
Forest Hills, N.Y.-based airline JetBlue Airways Corp. in December went live with a 64-bit SQL Server database that supports the company's frequent-flier application, said CIO Jeff Cohen. JetBlue is building a 64-bit SQL Server-based data warehouse to run customer analytics, Cohen said.
The airline is currently running 32-bit SQL Server to support internal business applications and an Oracle database for special aviation applications. Cohen said that when using the 32-bit SQL Server for the frequent-flier application, JetBlue had to keep adding more servers and processors to maintain performance. With a 64-bit architecture, the company was able to shrink a three-server Compaq ProLiant system with 12 processors to one four-way Hewlett-Packard Co. server.
"We were very thrilled by performance," said Cohen, who added that 64-bit SQL requires only 10% to 20% CPU utilization, as opposed to as much as 60% with 32-bit SQL.
But aside from the very few organizations that have a need for "serious number crunching," there will be a limited demand for 64-bit SQL Server, said James Governor, an analyst at RedMonk, a consulting firm in Hollis, N.H. "It's the same as ever with 64-bit. It's a technology in search of a mass-market application. Sixty-four bit is a 'nice to have,' not a 'need to have' in many cases."
According to Tullis, Microsoft has commitments from business software vendors Siebel Systems Inc., PeopleSoft Inc. and SAP AG to optimize their software for the 64-bit version of SQL Server.

Read more about Databases in Computerworld's Databases Topic Center.