News
Microsoft Issues XML for Analysis Beta
- By Scott Bekker
- March 02, 2001
In its quest for cross-platform integration,
Microsoft Corp. has bet the farm on XML
and open standards. Today, developers can catch a glimpse of its XML work, with
the beta of XML for Analysis.
XML for Analysis provides a toolkit for the integration
of analytical databases across an n-tier infrastructure. Because it uses the
open XML, SOAP, and http standards, Microsoft
says that it will allow developers to move data to applications written
in a number of environments, including C++, Java, and its own Visual Basic and
C# languages.
Redmond bills XML for analysis as an extension of its
OLEDB for OLAP and OLEDB for Data Mining.
While XML for Analysis is not explicitly a .NET
release, the beta may give users a clearer indication of what will come with
the .NET timeframe. Microsoft hopes to leverage XML and SOAP for creating
platform independent applications, and open integration between client and
server environments.
In addition, the toolkit is evidence of Redmond’s
program to push the Windows platform into high-end “glass house”
implementations; toolkits for data mining and extraction complement large
database installation on Windows machines.
The beta is available from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/data/xml/XMLAnalysis.htm
-Christopher McConnell
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.