Microsoft Korea’s product manager Choi Hun explains the concept of the new SQL Server 2012 at a press conference at the Lotte Hotel, Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Microsoft Korea

By Cho Mu-hyun

Microsoft (MS) is boosting its capability to handle corporate clients as it has stepped up efforts to strengthen its platform business.

The move comes as there has been a decline of the popularity of its Windows software in favor of Google’s open-based Android platform.

On Thursday, MS released its new business-to-business (B2B) information platform SQL Server 2012.

It is part of Microsoft’s strategy to apply ``big data,’’ the recent trend in the technology market. The software giant will also provide Haddop for domestic Window and Azure users.

“I dare say SQL Server 2012 is the most innovative data platform in the market right now,” said Choi Hun, Microsoft Korea’s product manager. “The new product is called a game-changer, but to be more precise, the rules of the game are changing right now.”

Choi was referring to the recent decline in costs in maintaining networks and information storage that allows companies to control tremendous amounts of data that grow explosively every day.

However, companies now have a more difficult time extracting the necessary data from the deluge of information flooding into their servers.

According to information technology research company Gartner, new information is rising 59 percent annually worldwide, and 85 percent of the information varies from industry standards as of October, 2010. Companies are having a difficult time using the varied platforms.

Big data and is first application SQL Server 2012 is designed to remedy the situation.

Big data is a hybrid cloud system that combines both an on-premises platform and public and private computing that allows an individual workforce access to all the data and “meshes them” in their personnel computers.

“Using SQL, non-specialists can bring all the information and data they need into the much used Excel,” said Microsoft’s Business Intelligence (BI) specialist Ahn Jae-hoon. “The user can present the data in various ways such as graphs, tables and pictures previously available in BI’s PowerPivot.”

“The new SQL adds a Web-based, visualization of data that we call the PowerView solution,” he added, demonstrating the new applications available to Microsoft clients, such as the new ‘trend’ graph that allows a “total view of data” and literally assist in reading recent trends.

Another noticeable aspect of SQL that Choi stressed was AlwaysOn. The new solution was designed to improve data availability by adding supporting multiple standby databases besides the main database used by companies.

According to Microsoft, one of its clients, LG Chemistry, was able to drastically decrease its usual data collecting time of 15 days to a mere week, while current tests run in multiple client companies have greatly approved of the SQL concept.