I was just asked how to install Commerce Server 2002 on top of SQL Server 2008 - and fix the things that broke. Unfortunately, you just can't do that. Or support .NET Framework newer than 1.1. Or run on an operating system newer than Windows Server 2003. Or run in 64-bitWhy? A lot changed between... Continue Reading →

A reader sent me a question the other day asking about the status of support for Commerce Server 2002. It entered Extended Support as of July 8, 2008 - see http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?LN=en-us&x=13&y=14&p1=1552 for details. What does this mean? It means that non-security hot fixes, no-charge incident support, and design changes/feature requests are no longer available. Hot... Continue Reading →

Today marks the launch of the Commerce Server 2009 Forums on MSDN. Now you have a place to discuss all things CS2009...at http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/commserver2009/threads/. Add it to your bookmarks and we hope to see you there! Separately, please welcome Charles Teague and the Commerce Support team to the world of blogging. When you call Microsoft for... Continue Reading →

Recently, I have started to get a lot of direct comments regarding requests for staffing referrals. Unfortunately, I cannot answer these directly. Job posting sites such as Monster.com or http://www.microsoft.com/commerceserver/partners/default.mspx (which is in the process of being updated for CS2009) are probably the best resources. Thanks for your understanding!

Today has been a busy day in the world of Commerce Server. First, the Release Candidate of Commerce Server 2009 is now available. It's **almost** here! Get the bits at: ISO Download Image: https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b7eeda01-5cba-4945-a44e-a6f5e3eed0b0&displaylang=en Connect Feedback Center: https://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=643 Installation Guide and Readme: https://connect.microsoft.com/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?SiteID=643&DownloadID=15887 This distribution is intended to be a seamless in-place, side-by-side update for... Continue Reading →

Someone sent me an e-mail over the weekend asking about how to wire up Commerce Server and Dynamics. Fortunately, there is any easy answer - BizTalk Server! The BizTalk team has published an adapter for Dynamics 4.0, released on October 6, 2008. It is available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=abd3bb9e-a59a-4eb6-8de8-fb25b77926d7&displaylang=en. Using this and the BizTalk Adapters in Commerce... Continue Reading →

After getting some feedback over the holiday week, we have made a few improvements to the Connect site for Commerce Server 2009 to improve accessibility. If you are already registered and are having difficulty accessing the README and Installation guide, please visit https://connect.microsoft.com/SelfNomination.aspx?ProgramID=2838&pageType=1&SiteID=643. Otherwise, please visit https://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=643 for first time visitors. Hope this helps!

Today is another major day for Commerce Server. Commerce Server 2009 (CS2009) is now available, in a feature-complete community technical preview. (Previously incomplete builds of CS2009 have been available under the guise of Commerce Server 2007 Codename "Mojave".) This release represents a significant cumulation of effort on many different fronts. It's key features include: Multi-Channel... Continue Reading →

The Commerce Server 2007 architecture series I started the other month is now complete. My hope is that this information is useful for those seeking to get acquainted with Commerce Server - and to learn some of the caveats one must consider when using the product. Additionally, hopefully some of the context shared will provide... Continue Reading →

32-bit or 64-bit The first thing to think about when building the end application is should it be a 32-bit or 64-bit application. Obviously, 64-bit is preferred – but there are many driving factors that will force 32-bit support to be utilized (even if running on an x64 operating system). In short, the reason 32-bit... Continue Reading →