REDMOND, Wash. - June 14, 1999 -Microsoft Corp. today announced new features in Microsoft^® Access 2000 that make it easier for users to build Access applications as a front end to Microsoft SQL Server™, and new tools that help IT organizations upsize existing Access applications to SQL Server 7.0. In addition, Access users qualify for a special promotional price for a limited time to obtain SQL Server 7.0 for approximately $699, less than half of the estimated retail price.

"We're pleased to extend the world-class reliability and scalability of SQL Server to the Access community," said Douglas Leland, SQL Server group product manager at Microsoft. "In turn, IT organizations benefit by taking full advantage of existing investments in Access as a familiar interface for their end users."

For those building Access applications, new features in Access 2000 called Access Projects allow users to create a database application with Access on the front end and a native connection to SQL Server via OLE DB on the back end. Traditional Access wizards, such as those that provide assistance in creating Forms and Reports or importing data, have been redesigned to support this new client/server environment. In addition, the Access interface now supports the creation and execution of SQL Server-stored procedures and triggers, which are useful for programmability and performance. The increased integration with Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 lowers the bar for the creation of client/server applications, providing Access users and small businesses with an easy way to take advantage of SQL Server, an enterprise-class, mission-critical database.

To help IT organizations scale up existing Access applications to SQL Server, Microsoft has integrated its popular Microsoft Access Upsizing Tools directly into Access 2000. Microsoft Access Upsizing Tools can automatically re-create an Access database on SQL Server. Users will be able to port their database structure, including data, indexes, defaults and counters, and table relationships to SQL Server. For example, Access Queries convert to SQL Server Views.

"Microsoft Access Upsizing Tools are easy to use and have been a great time-saver for us, allowing us to quickly port Access schema to SQL Server," said Daryl Bibens, vice president of sales for CyberOffice Technologies LLC, which uses Access and SQL Server to develop its commercial accounting and business automation applications. "We are also seeing great benefits with our newly developed applications. Because the Access Wizard creates SQL triggers based on Access relationships, our development time for new SQL Server-based applications is cut considerably."

Access 97 users who have outgrown a desktop solution and need to move up directly to SQL Server 7.0 can use the Access 97 Upsizing Tools available for free download from the Web (connect-time charges may apply) at http://www.microsoft.com/accessdev/. These tools convert Access 97 objects into SQL Server equivalents. Users of previous versions of Access, such as Access 2.0 and Access 95, can either upgrade to Access 2000 or obtain SQL Server 7.0 at the promotional price and use its new Data Transformation Services to easily import their data.

The special SQL Server pricing offer is available from June 15 to Sept. 15 from software resellers for Access users with Access proof of purchase through the SQL Server Product

Upgrade SKU 228-00330, which includes one server license and five SQL Server client access licenses.

Created by a world-class development team, Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 is the leading Windows NT^® Server operating system-based database, bringing business advantage and improved decision-making to all levels of the organization through the power of data warehousing, industry solutions and interoperability with Microsoft Office.

Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 enables independent software vendors and customers to build and deploy scalable database solutions for business intelligence, business operations, commerce and mobile solutions. Microsoft SQL Server is a member of the Microsoft BackOffice^® family, a set of servers that makes it easy to build, manage and deploy powerful business solutions.