FAQ: Microsoft's SQL Server Data Services

For data junkies, however, SQL Server Data Services (SSDS) is a big deal, one that legitimizes -- and may transform -- the nascent market for cloud-based databases while serving as a linchpin of Microsoft's utility computing strategy.

Microsoft has posted more information on SSDS, including a white paper ( ). We're here to give you the 1,000ish-word summary.

So what is SSDS Think of it as for databases. It's aimed at Web-centric developers, especially those at startups, who don't want to manage their own database because of complexity, cost, or both.

While users will need to know popular Web 2.0 programming interfaces such as REST and SOAP in order to connect SSDS to other applications, they don't need to know traditional SQL to get at their data. Rather, data is queried using LINQ, a component of the .Net framework that is similar to SQL. Using Microsoft Sync Framework, it'll also be possible to synchronize with, for example, mobile devices.

Microsoft is taking applications for the private beta program today, and plans to launch the service in the first half of next year. That company says it will use a subscription pricing model for SSDS, though it hasn't given any details.