The Visual Studio Enterprise Edition includes many new features you can use in designing applications, accessing data, and creating and managing components. This section highlights the new features of tools you may already be familiar with, and introduces tools that are new to this edition of Visual Studio.
In getting to know the new features, you should also take a look at topics specific to the core development tools included in Visual Studio. For links to these topics, see What's New in Visual Studio 6.0.
In addition, don't forget that the Enterprise Edition includes Professional Edition features, many of which are new or enhanced also. For more information about these, see What's New in Visual Studio Professional Edition.
The new features described in this section are grouped according to the following broad categories.
| Section | Description |
| What's New in Enterprise Design Tools | Provides links to more information on design tools, whether you're planning your application or measuring the efficiency of existing components. |
| What's New in Enterprise Data Access | Provides links to topics on data access enhancements with this version. |
| What's New in Enterprise Component Development | Provides links to topics on enhancements to component performance and management tools. |
The Visual Studio Enterprise Edition includes tools through which you can more easily plan your development efforts, and iteratively evaluate your plan.
With this version of APE, you can test using SQL Server queries and choose differing database connection options (including ADO, RDO, ODBC, and DAO). The user interface is improved and APE now provides modeling support for Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS).
Application Performance Explorer Reference introduces APE documentation, including concepts, common tasks, and user interface reference.
A tool for designing three-tier distributed applications using class and component diagrams, Visual Modeler offers many new features to enhance component design. With this version, for example, you can create multiple projects from a single visual model. This version also supports "stereotypes" — the ability to decorate classes with class types — making it easier to distinguish class and data types (predefined stereotypes for Visual Basic, Visual C++, and Visual J++ are included). Integration with Visual Component Manager is also included, enabling model reuse. With this version, you can also add existing COM components to your models simply by dragging them from the Windows Explorer.
Visual Modeler Reference provides step-by-step introductions to Visual Modeler for Visual Basic and Visual C++ programmers, as well as links to sample applications included on the MSDN CD.
Visual SourceSafe 6.0 offers many new features and enhancements, including increased speed on VSS commands.
See What's New in Visual SourceSafe 6.0 for the full list of what's new in VSS.
You can perform your source code control actions from within the Microsoft development environment (for Visual InterDev and Visual J++). In addition to typical source control actions (checking items in and out, getting the latest version of items), you can work offline (for laptop or disconnected users), perform the most common source control actions dialog-free, and take advantage of automatic deferred operations for files that aren't reloadable.
For source code control concepts, common tasks, and user interface reference, see Source Code Control Reference.
With this version of Visual Studio, data access takes a leap forward with tools through which you can access any data source, including mainframe computers.
With ADO 2.0, you have a cross-language technology for data access, featuring an object model that provides an easy-to-use set of objects, properties, and methods for creating script that accesses data in databases. The list of new features offered by ADO 2.0 is a long one.
For a list of what's new in ADO 2.0, see the section that begins with Shorthand for Creating a Recordset.
SNA Server is new in this version of Visual Studio Enterprise Edition. With it, you can make mainframe data available to Windows-based distributed applications. SNA Server can access data and applications on mainframe and midrange systems that are accessible using the Systems Network Architecture (SNA) protocol. This includes mainframe relational databases, Virtual Sequential Access Method (VSAM) files, and AS/400 data files. SNA Server also provides access to all application programs and data stores used by IBM's Customer Information Control System (CICS), including Information Management System (IMS).
For an introduction to SNA Server, you might start with the section that begins SNA Server Concepts.
Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 includes many new features designed to make developing applications, managing systems, and replicating data easier than ever.
New in this version of Visual Studio, OLE DB is a set of interfaces that provide applications with uniform access to data stored in diverse information sources. These interfaces support the amount of DBMS functionality appropriate to the data source, enabling it to share its data.
Microsoft OLE DB Overview introduces OLE DB and its documentation.
The distributed nature of enterprise applications creates a unique need for tools to analyze, store, and catalog components. The following tools offer enhancements to make this easier than ever before.
New features of Microsoft Repository include enhanced version and workspace management.
See What's New in Microsoft Repository 2.0 for an introduction to the new Repository features.
The Visual Component Manager (VCM) provides a single source, working in conjunction with Visual Studio development environments, to organize, find, and insert components into your project. You can use VCM as your central location for cataloging approved functional components, project programming conventions, functional specifications, and architectural models and diagrams. It offers a flexible keyword and search feature, the ability to automatically register COM components you reuse through it, and the option to store components in local (Microsoft® Access) databases on your own workstation, or shared Microsoft® SQL Server™ databases on network servers.
Visual Component Manager Reference introduces the Visual Component Manager documentation, providing links to concepts, common tasks, and other reference topics.
New with this version of Visual Studio, Visual Studio Analyzer is a complete tool for evaluating your distributed applications at the application level, across components. Features include an event-oriented approach to distributed application debugging and analysis, a graphical interface for evaluating the results of your analyses, and a set of interfaces through which you can customize components you develop for interaction with Visual Studio Analyzer.
Visual Studio Analyzer Reference introduces the Visual Studio Analyzer documentation, providing links to concepts, common tasks, and other reference topics.