MapPoint Add-in for SQL Server 2008
It has been close to a month of the release and I have been wanting to drop a line on this. The MapPoint 2009 Add-in for SQL Server 2008 capitalized on the spatial data that come out-of-box with SQL Server and integrates with the maps. More about it is over the homepage I have shared.
You can get various views of its integration and get amazing views like a heat-map or button locate or analyze environment data etc. An intro video of this integration of MapPoint and SQL Server is available. For folks who are yet to get an idea of MapPoint, do visit the MapPoint HomePage for some details. Fundamentally it integrates maps, demographics and geographical data into your business solutions. This add-in is just an entry level mapping solution and you will see a lot more work happening here in the future too. BTW, it works with MapPoint North America or MapPoint Europe only for now. Some of the salient features for me are:
1. Can use the local store of MapPoint hence network is not an mandate.
2. Seamlessly integrates with SQL Server 2008 spatial datatype – natively.
3. Support for ESRI and MIF file imports available
You can download the add-in from Downloads site. I also recommend reading the Spatial Storage topic on SQL Server 2008 BOL to efficiently and effectively use these capabilities.