The sqlcmd utility gives users the ability to submit T-SQL statements of batches. The command-line tool can be used to submit to local and remote instances. Microsoft describes the tool at ideal for repetitive database tasks such as unit testing. Bcp is the second new tool. The bulk copy program utility copies data between instances of SQL Server and a data-file. With command-line tool, users can import larger numbers off rows into tables, or expert data from tables....

Microsoft’s chief market office Chris Capossela put a formal stamp on the company’s platform surrender. Speaking with Cheddar, he said: “We’ve moved away from that competitive focus that I think we’ve had in the past,” he said. “We need to bring our products on the platforms that our customers are using,” he continued. By implication, Windows 10 on PC is included as that market has continued to decline. “So Office on the iPad or iPhone, Minecraft on every platform, that’s just a natural thing for us to do,” he noted....

A year ago, Microsoft partnered with Seattle-based Adaptive Biotechnology via its Healthcare NExt initiative. Its goal is to create a blood test that can scan the body for a number of illnesses at once, including cancer, infections, and autoimmune disorders. The backbone of the AI-based system is now up and running, and the companies are looking for help to decode the data it will provide. “The basis of our approach is the T-cell Antigen Map: nature’s mapping of your disease-fighting T-cells to antigens, the signals of disease that they target,” explained Jonathan Carlson, director of immunomics at Microsoft Healthcare NExt....

Back in January, Google disclosed Meltdown and Spectre and it emerged Intel had kept the major kernel-level flaw secret for months. Incidentally, Jan. 3 (the same day the Meltdown and Spectre disclosure) saw researchers tell Intel about Foreshadow. Also known as the “L1 Terminal Fault” (L1TF), the vulnerability is another speculative execution problem. This time researchers found the feature can be exploited for disclosure attacks. While Meltdown and Spectre affected all major processor companies, Foreshadow only affects Intel chips....

In an accompanying blog post, Microsoft points out location-based insights can bring more potency to IoT solutions. With Azure Location Based Services, customers can access geographical data that can improve connections in smart cities, and empower industrial transformations across industries. The preview will make its debut in early December. It provides an enterprise-grade location service for organizations to develop asset tracking, mobility, and other geographic-based applications. All of these creations provide insights through a single dashboard for easy management....

Chief of those specific features is the Super Mario Mash-Up pack. The update was an exclusive for the Wii U version of the game, and is now coming to the newer console. The Super Mario Mash-Up Pack will add 40 Mario themed skins, while the game as a whole will be given an enhancement to look better. Mojang released a video that showcases the pack and all of its features....

The presentation built off Build 2017 earlier this month. At its developer conference, Microsoft discussed the upcoming availability of HP and Acer HMDs. Those Windows Mixed Reality dev kits are now available for pre-order. Joining the growing range of hardware HMDs are ASUS, Lenovo, and Dell. These are three long term hardware partners of Microsoft who are embracing the company’s vision of accessible virtual reality. At Computex, Microsoft explained when the devices will launch: “These headsets, coming to market this holiday, use Microsoft’s platform to enable a single and consistent user interface, standardized inputs, and a universal app platform for developers....

Donald Trump won the Presidential Election in 2016 at the expense of Hilary Clinton. However, Trump did not win the popular vote and many analysts believe Clinton would have won if more people had voted. Whether you believe Trump’s presidency is the result of voter apathy or something more is unimportant. What is important is that people vote if they have the ability to. At least, that’s what Microsoft and Google are saying....

“We are always evaluating our policies to ensure a safe and engaging experience for our Bing users and the digital advertising ecosystem. Because cryptocurrency and related products are not regulated, we have found them to present a possible elevated risk to our users with the potential for bad actors to participate in predatory behaviors, or otherwise scam consumers,” said Melissa Alsozatai-Petheo, advertiser policy manager at Bing.” High-Profile Schemes Though some will feel this stifles the industry somewhat, it’s easy to see Microsoft’s perspectives....

In an accompanying blog post, the company says data volume will continue to rise. Citing an IDC report, Microsoft says data creation will top 160 zettabytes by 2025. That’s a lot of data, so analysis will need to be intelligent enough to quickly find what users need to see. Microsoft admits finding data and acting on it is a challenge. Normally, businesses would need a solution to use separate services to find, curate, and analyze data....

October 3 has been Microsoft’s planned launch date for the Cloud Partner Program for some time. Plenty of partners said this was too soon to prepare for the requirements, but Microsoft has stuck to its schedule. Microsoft Cloud Partner Program is a replacement for the outgoing Microsoft Partner Network (MPN). Introduced earlier this year, the program is much more than just a rebranding of MPN. For example, Microsoft is enforcing six new designations partners must comply with to meet the requirements of the program....

In response, Microsoft says it is commissioning a third-party review that will examine potential conflicts in the company’s values and products. With this response, the shareholder proposals have been closed. Bloomberg reports Microsoft will use the review to also look at how its surveillance technology impacts human rights. Below is the statement Microsoft issued regarding the matter: “In response to shareholder requests, Microsoft Corp. will commission an independent, third-party assessment to identify, understand, assess, and address actual or potential adverse human rights impacts of the company’s products and services and business relationships with regard to law enforcement, immigration enforcement, and other government contracts....

James Phillips, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Business Applications, Platform and Intelligence (BAPI) platform, made the announcement today. The offering was created to give customers more access to critical intelligence across their organization. As I discussed last month, Power BI Premium hides some features behind the new paywall. For example, users can no longer share private dashboard in the free powerbi.com version. Instead, they need the premium version to share in such a way: “Power BI Premium enables the same number of virtual cores an organization provisions in the cloud to also be deployed on-premises without the need to split the capacity....

The sale follows large losses for Toshiba following the bankruptcy of its Westinghouse Electric Corp subsidiary. Gou also reports talks with Google, Microsoft, and Cisco about their participation. It’s unclear how much the companies will invest, or if some will join at all. However, Gou says talks with Apple are going very well. “I can tell you Apple is in for sure,” he explained, the offer seemingly approved by CEO Tim Cook and the board of directors....

The realigning of the business is thought to be effective as of June 7. Arguably the most important change is the creation of a new Cloud AI Platform division. This organization will be headed by Corporate Vice President Joseph Sirosh. Cloud AI Platform will manage Microsoft’s Azure Machine Learning, Azure Search, and Bot Framework products. Additionally, it will oversee teams covering Algorithms, R Server, and Data Science Solution. Sirosh has history managing numerous Microsoft groups, such as SQL Server, Azure Data Lake, and Cortana Intelligence Suite....

The mitigations follow a previous plea from the company to developers. According to emails obtained by The New York Times, developers are being asked to avoid the release of large updates during peak times. The new measures focus specifically on uploads, and as such should have a lesser effect on gamers’ experience. “As people look to gaming for social connection, we’re seeing record numbers across Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live, and Mixer,” said Microsoft....

This massive growth allowed the company to pull in $2.7 billion in revenue from Azure during the year. Results like this justify Nadella’s cloud first, mobile first strategy, but also highlight how much work Microsoft has to do. Estimate Accuracy Of course, it is an analysts job to know the market. That said, we have seen plenty not even be in the ball park before. Microsoft does not publicly report its Azure revenue (equally Google), so it is hard to know how accurate the estimates are....

A new ‘Phone and Other Devices’ section houses information about the feature, but setup is done primarily on your other mobile or desktop device. On Android, you must download the latest version of the Microsoft Edge browser, before setting up Sync and selecting, “The new Microsoft Edge”. Unfortunately, the feature does not include history for now. This is primarily for syncing favorites and passwords, which many already use third-party extensions like Pocket and Lastpass for....

Project xCloud initially debuted on iOS in February. Like on Android, the service was in testing in select nations. Unlike Android, what was available to users during the test was severely limited. Indeed, the only game supported was Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Furthermore, users couldn’t tap into the Console Streaming feature could not to stream games from your Xbox. It is worth noting Microsoft is also ending the Android preview on September 11th, but the reasoning is different....

Furthermore, as part of a “multiyear strategic partnership,” the retailer will also use Microsoft Surface devices and tap into the Microsoft 365 productivity bundle. In a press release, Microsoft says GameStop will adopt Dynamics 365 as the driver of its in-store and back-end platform. The company will access new Surface hardware to enhance in-store experiences and develop new retail tools for customers. GameStop will also tap into Microsoft 365 and specifically Microsoft Teams....