With SQL Server 2005 just out of the chute it seems a bit too
early to be thinking about the next release of SQL Server, but
that's what Microsoft's SQL Server team needs to be doing.
First, the team needs to add the major features that didn't make
it into the November release to manufacturing (RTM) before the
next release. The most obvious omission is database mirroring, a
feature that would have been a prime motivator for many
businesses to upgrade and that's already part of Oracle and IBM
DB2. A replacement for the SQL Server Express Manager is another
feature that just can't wait. SQL Server 2005 Express possibly
faces stiffer competition than any member of the SQL Server 2005
family, and MySQL, Oracle XE, and IBM's Cloudscape all have
graphical management tools. Microsoft's current plan is to
deliver both of these missing features in the second half of
2006.  In planning features for the next release, the SQL Server
team will certainly need to work hard on clustering. Oracle 10g
offers easy clustering fo