Microsoft launches SQL Server 2005.

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Alan Brewer [MSFT] - 07 Nov 2005 16:12 GMT

Today at 9AM Pacific Standard Time Steve Ballmer launches Microsoft SQL
Server 2005, our next generation data management and analysis software. You
can follow the launch, including a Webcast of the launch from this Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/applicationplatform/launch2005/defa
ult.mspx

In addition, the SQL Server Web sites have now been updated to cover SQL
Server 2005:

SQL Server product site: http://microsoft.com/sql
SQL Server Developer Center: http://msdn.microsoft.com/sql
SQL Server TechCenter: http://technet.microsoft.com/sql/
Data Access and Storage Developer Center: http://msdn.microsoft.com/data

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Alan Brewer [MSFT]
Content Architect, SQL Server Documentation Team

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

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Aaron Bertrand [SQL Server MVP] - 08 Nov 2005 15:53 GMT

Thanks Alan, I have a couple of issues.

(1) Books Online:

Is this the permanent URL for Books Online?

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms130214(en-US,SQL.90).aspx

The "msdn2" subdomain, as well as the use of parentheses in the URL, make it
seem like more of a temporary resting place to me. You might also make
links to this online version a bit more prominent; it took me several
minutes to find. It took me 4 or 5 clicks to get to this page, which
finally had Books Online listed under the toolbox:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/technologies/dbengine.mspx

And this only led me to the downloadable version. How I ended up getting to
the actual online version was by going to http://msdn.microsoft.com/sql/ and
clicking on Learn SQL Server 2005 > What's New in SQL Server 2005, then
navigating my way up the left-hand navigation tree.

(2) on the following URL:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/library/default.mspx

All the links under "Browse by Task" are 404 and lead to:

http://www.microsoft.com/library/errorpages/smarterror.aspx?404;

Their equivalent links in the left nav (flyout menu) work fine.

(3) The SQL Server 2005 item in the left nav is very unintuitive. Why would
I look under "SQL Server 2005" for links to SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server
7.0? I suggest using a menu like "Previous Versions" or "Other Versions"...
the guy in the next cube had a pretty good laugh when I showed him what is
currently under that menu. I guess it made more sense to him than it did to
me, or he has a weird sense of humor.

Thanks,
Aaron

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Alan Brewer [MSFT] - 08 Nov 2005 20:11 GMT

The MSDN2 URL's are temporary. When the MSDN Library is migrated into the
new MSDN publishing system, the URLs will be changed to remove the 2, so the
URL you listed will change to:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms130214(en-US,SQL.90).aspx

I'll talk to the SQL Server site managers about doing other links to the
copy of the Books Online in the MSDN Library. For the launch we concentrated
on having the SQL Server Web site pages link directly to the sections of the
Books Online that were most relevant, so the pages actually have many links
to that copy of the Books Online. Where we talk about the Books Online as a
whole, especially where we talk about getting the download, we should also
let people know about the copy in the MSDN Library and link them there.

The site manager has fixed the links on
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/library/default.mspx,
thanks for letting us know.

We are also discussing a change to the SQL Server 2005 link in the left nav
column.

Signature

Alan Brewer [MSFT]
Content Architect, SQL Server Documentation Team

SQL Server Developer Center: http://msdn.microsoft.com/sql
SQL Server TechCenter: http://technet.microsoft.com/sql/

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Reply to this Message