Oracle Joins Partner Program For Microsoft Visual Studio .Net 2003

Oracle is joining Microsoft's Visual Studio Industry Partner (VSIP) program at the premier level, according to the two companies. The VSIP program enables ISV partners to ensure interoperability between their software and Visual Studio, Microsoft's development environment.

As part of the new partnership, Oracle will offer a download for integrating its database with Visual Studio .Net 2003 from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) Web site, later this year. Oracle Database 10g for Microsoft Windows is available and can be downloaded in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions from the OTN site.

As a premier VSIP partner, Oracle will receive one-year MSDN Universal Subscription, access to the VSIP program logo and the ability to participate in targeted marketing activities with Microsoft. Premier-level VSIP members also receive a Visual Studio .Net redistribution license, which enables Oracle to ship Visual Studio.Net with its database.

While Oracle and Microsoft are bitter database rivals, the Oracle 9i and 10g databases already offer some degree of Visual Studio.Net support. Windows, along with Linux and Unix, is a key operating system for the Oracle database.

IBM has said its new DB2 release, due later this year, will offer tighter integration with Visual Studio .Net than Microsoft's own SQL Server 2000 does (see story). IBM was among the original VSIP program members, an IBM spokeswoman said.

According to Microsoft, more than 200 companies participate in the VSIP program, which began in 1999 as the Visual Studio Integration Partner program and was renamed last August. More than 400 add-on tools are also available for Visual Studio.Net through the program.

Barbara Darrow contributed to this story.