Obscure Microsoft product behind halt of Windows releases
A compatibility glitch with the latest versions of Windows has thrust the spotlight onto a little-known product from Microsoft's Dynamics line for midsize businesses.
Microsoft said on Tuesday that it was delaying the availability of Windows XP Service Pack 3 and halting automatic updates to Vista Service Pack 1 because of problems with Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System.
Just what is Dynamics RMS?
It's software that enables specialty retailers to handle cash register functions, process payments, and automate purchasing, inventory and other back-end processes, said Michael Griffiths, the group product manager for the retail part of the Dynamics business.
Dynamics RMS is used to manage about 38,000 different store locations, he said.
Perhaps its most notable customer is the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, who use it to handle all of their merchandising activities, in conjunction with Microsoft's Dynamics AX product.
Microsoft acquired Dynamics RMS as part of its 2002 acquisition of Southern California-based Sales Management Systems, and it last updated the product in January 2007.
Griffiths said the Dynamics team discovered the issue as part of its testing and realized that the problem could lead to data loss.
"The key issue is, there is a potential for data loss within the RMS solution itself, which is obviously something we wanted to make sure we address immediately," Griffiths said.
He didn't offer a specific reason why the company didn't catch the issue sooner. "It just happened this was the time and place when we did find the issue," he said.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
I knew this as far back as 1999, when Windows 2000 beta was causing all kinds of problems. Office 2000 had the same kind of issues.
I wrote Visual BASIC programs for FORTUNE 500 companies as a programmer analyst. I tried to explain this to managers, but they wouldn't listen. I said wait until Microsoft releases all of the API changes so I can modify the API calls that our customized software makes with Windows and Office library files and fix the issues. But they wouldn't listen. I had contacted Microsoft over those issues and they said a future service pack will address compatibility issues and the API calls are undocumented and part of Microsoft's IP and not released to the public.
Windows XP had the same issues, as did Vista and now XP SP3.
It isn't just Microsoft's business software that has issues with Vista and XP SP3, but a lot of other legacy business applications. Many firms are still sticking to Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP2 or SP1 for now. As they addressed all of the compatibility issues with legacy business software.
Microsoft is in such a hurry to get new OSes and service packs out that they don't test critical applications to see if they work with the new versions of system files anymore. Not even their own critical business software it seems.
good out to customers. Its little surprise that they cant even make
their own crapware work together.
Microsoft could stop developing right now and XP would still be the dominant OS for at least 10 years, as it should be.
Name one other company, ever, that has improved business efficiency more than Microsoft. Wait, don't just name them, back them up as well as to how they have done more for businesses than Microsoft.
Just so you know, I use Macs exclusively, I prefer the interface.
Linux is not for main stream consumers or businesses and likely never will be.
If you wish to be respected, treat others with similar respect- especially that of your adversaries. You will come across much more credible that way.
Would they delay SP3 if it would break IBM's lotus notes or Oracle database that has more then 38,000 users?
P.S. Lotus Notes sucks, so they should release service packs that break Lotus ;)
Domino or an Oracle Database system (presumably this would
be on Windows Server, not XP, where service pack deployment
isn't done quite as routinely or automatically, anyway), then it
would be recalled just as quickly.
I can't think of any Lotus Notes installation that would be as
critical as an RMS installation would be (basically, RMS clients
are retailers that do >$100M per year in sales, and they would
have to stop or severely slow their business if RMS were to fail).
There is no doubt that the Microsoft response to them would be "update your own app or tell your customers to turn off auto-update, we can't hold up a SP for just 38,000 sites".
In that light, this reaction is very interesting.
If Microsoft were to put out a service pack that would damage, say, an Oracle database or a J.D. Edwards financial system (presumably this would be moreso on the Windows Server rather than XP Client side), it's pretty likely that the service pack would be recalled as well.
Sorry, but anyone dumb enough to let M$ just take over their physical cash flow systems, is just asking to be ripped off!
You've officially announced that you are unqualified to participate in this dicussion.
Thank you - come again!
- Just wait til they screw up Yahoo's software too.
- by JCPayne May 1, 2008 1:14 PM PDT
- Boy ohh boy, M$ will sure destroy Yahoo in nooo time flat.
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