Microsoft’s .NET tools are very different from their predecessors. Visual C++ can still compile standard Windows executables, but the other languages all target the .NET Framework, a runtime engine and class library that manages memory and enforces security. Framework applications perform well, since they are compiled to native code at runtime, but there is an overhead in terms of memory usage and the Framework runtime must be installed. In compensation, .NET brings many advantages. All the languages are fully object-oriented, the class library is rich, and XML support is fully integrated. ASP.NET is for web applications, and represents a large advance on the old ASP. Instead of script, ASP.NET supports any of the .NET languages, running on the server and just-in-time compiled to native code. There is a visual web page designer, and carefully designed applications support a wide range of browsers. New in this version of Visual Studio is Mobile Web Forms, which use adaptive rendering to support the browsers in mobile phones and PDAs. The database technology in Visual Studio is called ADO.NET, and uses a disconnected model that is ideal for laptops, smart devices, and wide area networks.
Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect 2003 is the top of the range. It’s the only version to include Visio, a drawing and modelling tool with integrated reverse-engineering and code-generation, though sadly not full round-tripping. There are also developer licenses for the key Microsoft server platforms, including Windows Server 2003, Exchange 2000 Server, Biztalk Server and SQL Server 2000. Another key component is the Visual SourceSafe code management system, which is especially important for team development, Application Center Test, for stress-testing web applications, and Enterprise Templates which let architects design and deploy best practices for project development. For those wondering whether to make the jump to .NET, this release is probably the right moment to go ahead. The technology is maturing, and the inclusion of the Compact Framework makes the package more compelling. The deep XML support on offer is essential for many enterprise applications and enables integration with other platforms. It’s still important to note the heavy system requirements, and that .NET applications do not run on Windows 95. In most cases, the higher productivity of .NET languages soon pays for any additional resources. --Tim Anderson, Amazon.co.uk
Note: This is an upgrade version for current users of Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect 2002
Xcelsius Engage is the perfect way to get started in the exciting area of dashboarding. It lets you create business dashboards and data presentations from spreadsheets, corporate databases - and share them "live" via Crystal Reports 2008, Microsoft Office, Adobe PDF and the Web. It provides end-users with access to up-to-minute company data in a simple and actionable interface.
Category: Business applications
Subcategory: Business - databases / database tools, business - data analysis & business intelligence
License Type: Upgrade license
License Qty: 1 named user
License Pricing: Standard
Platform: Windows
OS Required: Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows 2003
Microsoft’s .NET tools are very different from their predecessors. Visual C++ can still compile standard Windows executables, but the other languages all target the .NET Framework, a runtime engine and class library that manages memory and enforces security. Framework applications perform well, since they are compiled to native code at runtime, but there is an overhead in terms of memory usage and the Framework runtime must be installed. In compensation, .NET brings many advantages. All the languages are fully object-oriented, the class library is rich, and XML support is deeply integrated. ASP.NET is for web applications, and represents a large advance on the old ASP. Instead of script, ASP.NET supports any of the .NET languages, running on the server and just-in-time compiled to native code. There is a visual web page designer, and carefully designed applications support a wide range of browsers. A new feature in this version of Visual Studio is Mobile Web Forms, which use adaptive rendering to support the browsers in mobile phones and PDAs.
The database technology in Visual Studio is called ADO.NET. It uses a disconnected model, which means that applications work with data locally, only contacting the server for data transfer or update. It’s a good model for laptops, smart devices, and wide area networks, but there’s a lot to learn for those skilled in older database APIs.
The Visual Studio .NET Professional 2003 edition represents the best value in the range. There’s no Visual SourceSafe or Visio diagramming, and it lacks the server licences found in the high-end Enterprise editions, but it’s otherwise a fully comprehensive package.
For those wondering whether to make the jump to .NET, this release is probably the right moment to go ahead. The technology is maturing, and the inclusion of the Compact Framework makes the package more compelling. Students and newcomers to programming will welcome the clean object-orientation in C#, and the deep XML support on offer is essential for enterprise applications or integrating with other platforms. It’s still important to note the heavy system requirements, and that .NET applications do not run on Windows 95. In most cases, the higher productivity of .NET languages soon pays for any additional resources. --Tim Anderson, Amazon.co.uk
Extending visual design capabilities to the server is easier than ever with Visual Studio .NET 2003. The Component Designer provides a canvas for building and instantiating business logic components using the familiar drag-and-drop paradigm. In addition, the Server Explorer delivers direct access to server-side resources, including databases, message queues, event logs, Windows Services, Crystal Reports, and performance counters.
Visual Basic .NET 2003 delivers the most productive route to professional application development. Familiar Visual Basic syntax, expressive coding constructs, a powerful background compiler, and unsurpassed support for productivity within the code editor enable you to crank out software in record time. The fully modernized Visual Basic language supports Structured Exception Handling and optional power features including object-oriented constructs and multi-threading.
Note: This is an upgrade version for current users.
 Office Access 2007 provides a library of prebuilt database solutions to get you started quickly. View larger. |
 Office Access 2007 has made it easier to filter data, bringing clarity to business questions. View larger. |
 Collect information from others by e-mail with InfoPath (or HTML) forms generated by Office Access 2007. View larger. |
 Moving your Office Access 2007 application to Windows SharePoint Services enables browser access to information. View larger. |
 Editing forms in interactive design mode is a true WYSIWIG experience. View larger. |
 Office Access 2007 provides a completely redesigned user interface and close integration with Outlook contacts. View larger. |
 Office Access 2007 has been updated with a fresh look so that you can easily create, modify, and work with database solutions. View larger. |
Pre-built Applications to Better Manage Information
Featuring pre-built applications that you can modify or adapt to suit changing business needs, Access 2007 gives you the option of collecting information through forms in e-mail or importing data from external applications. You can also create and edit detailed reports that display sorted, filtered, and grouped information in a way that helps you make better sense of the data for informed decision-making.
Getting Started Screen
The new Getting Started screen includes a variety of pre-built database solutions that you can use right out of the box to track contacts, events, issues, assets, tasks, and more--or treat them like templates, and enhance and refine them to accommodate the kind of information you want to track or the way in which you want to track it. As other application templates become available from Microsoft Office Online, they will be advertised in the Getting Started screen so you'll always be up to date on new technology that can help your business run more smoothly.
Quickly Create Tables
Access 2007 features a new Navigation Pane which provides a comprehensive view of tables, forms, queries, and reports. You can even create custom groups to organize and see all the forms and reports related to a single table. In addition, Access 2007 makes it easier to work directly within a datasheet to create and customize tables. Enter information into a data cell--just as you would do in Microsoft Office Excel--and if it's a new value, Access 2007 automatically adds a new field and detects the data type (for example, date, number, or text). You can even paste Excel tables into a new datasheet, and Access 2007 will build all the fields and recognize the data types automatically. To help save you even more time, design and modify the form layout in real time on the screen, and preview your form as you build it. And for professional-looking results, Access 2007 provides rich text support for data stored in tables, so you can bold and italicize key data with ease.
 Editing reports in Office Access 2007 offers easy grouping and editing with interactive design mode. View larger. |
Work With Multi-Value Fields
Access 2007 supports complex data types, which means you can create columns that accept more than one value in a cell. For example, if you assign a task to more than one person, you can include both names in the cell. Windows SharePoint Services technology is compatible with these complex data types to help ensure data symmetry between the local and Web-based data stores.
Attach Documents and Files to Your Database
Your applications can hold information that is more interesting and helpful than ever before. You can attach multiple files--such as photos, documents, or spreadsheets--to individual records within the data store for easy reference. If the file isn't a compressed format, Access 2007 automatically compresses it for you, saving hard disk space. When it comes to consolidating information, Access 2007 lets you import contact records from Outlook 2007.
Interactive Form and Report Design
Access 2007 features an intuitive, user-friendly, what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) forms design interface. This means you can design and modify the form layout in real time on the screen and preview your form as you build it. With the WYSIWYG design interface, you'll be able to build forms very quickly, spending more time doing the work and less time on design and formatting issues. You can also manipulate the report layout directly while browsing the data in the report designer, so you don't need to run the report to see how it looks on the page. This makes it easier to create great-looking reports in much less time.
More Accessible Reports
The new report browse mode makes reports more accessible. By using CTRL+F, you can find records, copy the data into other applications, and get to detailed records to edit the data. With the new filtering functionality, you can get clearer information on which to base decisions. To help keep things running smoothly, the improved Grouping Pane provides a clear display of data groupings so that you can preview changes as you are applying them to reports. You can easily add totals, subtotals, counts, and other elements that help you analyze the data. To help organize data, group the information in one or more layers and add subtotals.
Collecting and Sharing Information
Access 2007 simplifies the process of collecting information from others by building the data collection form automatically in InfoPath 2007 or HTML in the body of the e-mail message. You can then send that form to recipients, using e-mail addresses from your Outlook contacts or from Access itself. Outlook 2007 processes the incoming forms and saves the data in your Access 2007 data store, effectively updating the data in your tracking application immediately, without any need for retyping.
Web Collaboration With Windows SharePoint Services
By moving your Access 2007 files to a Windows SharePoint Services Web site, you can more readily share information, audit revision history, recover deleted information, set data access permissions, and back up your information at regular intervals. For instance, Web sites based on Windows SharePoint Services provide a place where your team can communicate, share documents, and work together on a project. With Access 2007, you can publish your Access files to libraries or move the application to Windows SharePoint Services, moving the data and front-end database to the server so that your team can interact with it easily through the browser. Forms and reports can then be viewed, updated, or deleted directly on the Windows SharePoint Services site according to the established permission settings.
Work Offline
Using Access 2007, you can work with Windows SharePoint Services offline. If you're traveling, for example, you can maintain a local copy of a SharePoint list on your portable computer, where you can edit and query the list as though it were any other Access table. Moreover, forms and reports that use the SharePoint list are fully interactive--and Office Access 2007 can later synchronize the local list with the online list when you bring your portable computer back online.
Integration with Windows SharePoint Services
Access 2007 authors can use business logic created with the workflow support in Windows SharePoint Services to build collaborative workgroup applications. Use this support to automatically assign tasks to other users, report on project status, and help ensure that tasks are completed on time. For added convenience, all Windows SharePoint Services tasks can be viewed inside Office Access 2007 or Outlook 2007, depending upon your work style. Windows SharePoint Services lists can even be accessed through mobile phones, so remote users can stay current on changing business information.
Manage and Audit Sensitive Information
To make this software even safer and more consistent with other 2007 Office system programs, Access 2007 includes improved as well as new security features. Unified trust decisions are integrated with Office Trust Center, and trusted locations mean databases in security-enhanced folders. Conversely, you can load an Access application with code or macros disabled to help provide a safe experience. Or you can track records and see who created, edited, and deleted them. Whichever option you choose, you can rest assured that your data is safe.
 Visual Studio 2005 combined with ASP.NET 2.0 offers an improved environment for publishing and administering a Web site. View larger. |
 The new ClickOnce application deployment technology makes deploying a desktop application as easy as deploying a web application. View larger. |
 The Solution Explorer now makes it easy for you to clean up unwanted files. View larger. |
Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition includes Microsoft Visual Basic, Microsoft Visual C#, Microsoft Visual C++, and Microsoft Visual J# programming languages; tools for building Windows and Web solutions; SmartPhone and Pocket PC development tools for building Windows CE-based applications; Visual Database tools; advanced debugging tools, including cross-machine debugging; and much more.
Cross Machine Debugging and Better Web Publishing
Visual Studio 2005, combined with ASP.NET 2.0, offers an improved environment for publishing and administering a Web site. With the built-in publishing features, such as integrated File Transfer Protocol (FTP), you can keep files in your local project and synchronize them with files located on a remote Web server. Visual Studio automatically logs copied files which helps you to identify whether the remote site has been updated with the latest files. And to help protect your site and your IP, you can pre-compile a Web site to publish only executable code, no source files, to your production server. The Web site configuration interface makes it easy to set up and maintain applications, and the new Web Site Administration Tool helps you manage remote sites. You can manage cache settings at the server and Web site level to improve the performance of your published Web sites. And users can manage their own sites with the new ASP.NET Microsoft Management Console (MMC) plug-in.
The Solution Explorer in Visual Studio 2005 also makes it easy for you to clean up unwanted files. Simply choose Clean Solution from the Build Menu and all the intermediate files and output directories in your whole solution will be removed. For Visual C++, you can also use the Project Only submenu of the Build Menu to clean only the project currently selected in Solution Explorer, without cleaning any project dependencies or solution files. Other features include a new checksum feature that matches multiple source file names without any confusion; provider-driven application services that let you extend the powerful features of Visual Studio Team System by adding your own ASP .NET application services seamlessly, giving you complete control over the tools and environment.
You must be a licensed user of one of the following products to be eligible for this upgrade version:
With a professional code editor, rich design surface, visual and CSS diagnostic tools, cross-browser debugging features, and broad Web-standards support, Expression Web makes it faster and easier than ever to create modern standards-based Web sites.
Creating and streaming video has never been easier than with Expression Encoder. Create high quality video for your Web site, YouTube, or handheld device.
Create compelling graphic designs and illustrations with Expression Design. Integrate vector artwork and bitmap images in the same document to create hybrid compositions that you can import in part or in whole into Expression Web.
Microsoft Expression Studio 4 Web Professional also includes Expression Encoder 4 and Expression Design 4.
With Microsoft Expression Encoder, you can import and encode video files, produce live webcasts, enhance media with watermarks and advertising, and publish with Microsoft Silverlight.
Microsoft Expression Design 4 is the perfect companion to Expression Web. Create sophisticated assets with their fidelity maintained throughout the entire designer-developer workflow.
Expression Studio 4 Web Professional includes a complete set of professional design and development tools for creating modern standards-based Web sites, streaming video, and Web graphics. It includes three professional applications that work together: Expression Web, Expression Encoder, and Expression Design - all for one great price!
Powerful vector drawing and editing tools in the included copy of Expression Design let you explore new artistic possibilities and create compelling graphic designs and illustrations. Integrate vector artwork and bitmap images in the same document to create hybrid compositions that you can import in part or in whole into Expression Web. Use Expression Design's sophisticated slicing capabilities to create web-ready graphics.
Quickly encode and insert high-quality WMV, VC-1 and H.264 Silverlight video into your Web site with a wide range of encoding and transcoding features in the included copy of Expression Encoder.
With support for a broad range of scripting and server-side technologies, Expression Web provides the flexibility you need. Expression Web supports PHP, HTML/XHTML, XML/XSLT, CSS, JavaScript, ASP.NET or ASP.NET AJAX, Silverlight, Flash, Windows Media, and Photoshop, as well as interoperability with Microsoft Visual Studio and Expression Studio.
Built-in support for today's modern Web standards makes it easy to optimize your sites for accessibility and cross-browser compatibility. Choose any schema you want HTML, XHTML, Strict/Transitional/Frameset and CSS 1.0, 2.0, or 2.1; Expression Web will help you build appropriate code with a compatibility checker that highlights non-conforming elements.
Easy Upgrade
It has never been easier to upgrade to the latest version of Visual Studio. Whether you're maintaining a legacy application or starting a new project, Visual Studio 2010 helps you make the most of what you already have.
Save Money Today
Now is the best time to take advantage of cost saving offers that provide you with access to Microsoft operating systems, servers, and professional development tools at a fraction of the cost.
Instant Productivity
Take advantage of time saving enhancements to the core development experience in Visual Studio 2010 Professional. With 2010, you will spend less time debugging, stretch your IDE across multiple monitors and quickly navigate your code files.
1. Visual Studio 2010 Professional enables you to optimize your development environment with seamless multiple monitor support, allowing you to visualize your code and debug on one monitor while viewing external help or a tools window on the secondary monitor.
2. Visual Studio 2010 Professional delivers new support for SharePoint development, including numerous templates for SharePoint components, tooling for Web Parts, Lists, Workflows, and Events so you can easily build customized collaboration solutions.
3. New Offer for Visual Studio 2010: Visual Studio 2010 Professional FPP now comes with a 12-month MSDN Essentials subscription. MSDN Essentials is a trial MSDN subscription that gives you access to the latest core Microsoft platforms: Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Datacenter.
4. Visual Studio 2010 Professional includes enhanced multi-targeting support, with new reference assemblies and the most accurate IntelliSense ever, allowing you to target multiple versions of the .NET framework with one tool.
5. Visual Studio 2010 Professional simplifies building standards-based web applications with improved AJAX frameworks, core IntelliSense support for JavaScript, and the integration of the popular jQuery framework, an open-source JavaScript library.
Note: Visual Studio 2010 Professional with MSDN Essentials is a one-year trial subscription that provides access to the latest core Microsoft platforms—Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise, and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2—in addition to providing enhanced support from a professional community. Visual Studio 2010 Professional with MSDN Essentials may be upgraded to Visual Studio 2010 Professional with MSDN at the end of the trial period.
 | ||||
Debugging & Diagnostic | ||||
IntelliTrace (Historical Debugger) |  | |||
Static Code Analysis | | | ||
Code Metrics | | | ||
Profiling | | | ||
Testing | ||||
Unit Testing | | | | |
Code Coverage | | | ||
Test Impact Analysis | | | ||
Coded UI Test | | | ||
Web Performance Testing | | |||
Load Testing1 | | |||
Microsoft Test Manager 2010 | | | ||
Test Case Management2 | | | ||
Manual Test Execution | | | ||
Fast-Forward for Manual Testing | | | ||
Lab Management Configuration3 | | | ||
Database Development | ||||
Database Deployment | | | ||
Database Change Management2 | | | ||
Database Unit Testing | | | ||
Database Test Data Generation | | | ||
Development Platform Support | ||||
Windows Development | | | | |
Web Development | | | | |
Office and SharePoint Development | | | | |
Cloud Development | | | | |
Customizable Development Experience | | | | |
Architecture and Modeling | ||||
Architecture Explorer | | |||
UML 2.0 Compliant Diagrams (Activity, Use Case, Sequence, Class, Component) | | |||
Layer Diagram and Dependency Validation | | |||
Read-only diagrams (UML, Layer, DGML Graphs) | | |||
Lab Management | ||||
Virtual environment setup & tear down3 | | | ||
Provision environment from template3 | | | ||
Checkpoint environment3 | | | ||
Team Foundation Server | ||||
Version Control2 | | | | |
Work Item Tracking2 | | | | |
Build Automation2 | | | | |
Team Portal2 | | | | |
Reporting & Business Intelligence2 | | | | |
Agile Planning Workbook2 | | | | |
Test Case Management2 | | | | |
Microsoft Visual Studio Team Explorer 2010 | | | | |
MSDN Subscription - Software for Production Use | ||||
Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010 | | | | |
Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010 CAL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Microsoft Expression Studio 3 | | | ||
Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate, Communicator 2007, Project 2007 Standard, Visio 2007 Professional, SharePoint Designer 2007 | | | ||
MSDN Subscription - Software for Development and Test Use4 | ||||
Windows Azure™ |
|
|
| |
Windows (client and server operating systems) | | | | |
Microsoft SQL Server | | | | |
Toolkits, Software Development Kits, Driver Development Kits | | | | |
Microsoft SharePoint | | | ||
Microsoft Dynamics | | | ||
All other Servers | | | ||
Windows Embedded operating systems | | | ||
MSDN Subscription benefits | ||||
Team Explorer Everywhere (tools for cross-platform development) | | |||
Technical support incidents | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Priority support in MSDN Forums | | | | |
Microsoft e-learning collections | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
MSDN Magazine | | | | |
MSDN Flash newsletter | | | | |
MSDN Online Concierge | | | | |
† Azure benefit includes 250 compute hrs/mo, 7.5 GB storage, 3 GB SQL Server database capacity, 1M .NET messages/month
†† Azure benefit includes 100 compute hrs/mo, 5 GB storage, 2 GB SQL Server database capacity, 500k .NET messages/month
††† Azure benefit includes 50 compute hrs/mo, 3 GB/mo storage, 1GB SQL Server database capacity, 300k .NET messages/month
1. May require one or more Microsoft Visual Studio Load Test Virtual User Pack 2010
2. Requires Team Foundation Server and a Team Foundation Server CAL
3. Requires Microsoft Visual Studio Team Lab Management 2010
4. Per-user license allows unlimited installations and use for designing, developing, testing, and demonstrating applications.
UML is a registered trademark of Object Management Group, Inc.
Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
