Microsoft has migrated most of its internal SQL Server databases to SQL Server 7.0, including all mission-critical systems. Each of these upgrades occurred with beta versions of SQL Server 7.0.
The SAP R/3 enterprise resource planning (ERP) environment at Microsoft manages the company’s worldwide financials, human resources, OEM contracts and all procurement transactions. Moving SAP R/3 to SQL Server 7.0 has drastically reduced the update performance time from an average of more than 5 seconds to 0.7 seconds. In addition, the total database size has been reduced from 140 GB to 80 GB, system availability has increased substantially, and backup throughput has increased 450 percent.
Microsoft Sales, Microsoft’s revenue-reporting data warehouse, contains 150 GB of sales data that supports business intelligence throughout the corporation, and is used concurrently by more than 1,600 employees worldwide, primarily accountants and sales and marketing people. Since the move to SQL Server 7.0, query performance has increased 57 percent, and backup speed has increased 25 percent. The Microsoft Sales database upgraded quickly and easily in about 24 hours.
With SQL Server 7.0, Microsoft’s product support systems used for call tracking, credit card billing, and customer contract information can be used concurrently by up to 3,600 support specialists worldwide. SQL Server 7.0 provides Microsoft with the enhanced reliability and scalability imperative to keep the system up and running continuously, an advantage that translates into better customer service and lower support costs.
Microsoft has also converted its corporate Web site, www.microsoft.com/, to SQL Server 7.0. This site, one of the 10 busiest Web sites on the Internet, receiving between 140 million and 200 million hits a day, is run by multiple SQL Server databases, each of which has been upgraded to SQL Server 7.0. Additionally, MSNBC and MSN have upgraded to SQL Server 7.0.