(October 15, 2003) - When details about Longhorn, the update of Microsoft's Windows OS, are unveiled at the PDC later this month, developers will welcome the system's enhancements in the area of data storage. The existing file system, NTFS, will be augmented by a new data storage system, WinFS, that promises to make information easier to locate and view.

Working with NTFS, but not replacing it, WinFS is designed to help make the transition to Longhorn easier. WinFS will incorporate XML labeling capabilities, as well as the querying capabilites of MS' SQL Server relational database. It will include a mechanism to store metadata with files, offering the capability to search the files with more context and keyword information than possible with current Windows applications.

Microsoft recognizes that the demand for more efficient information retrieval has grown tremendously, and WinFS should help developers organize and store data in ways that will speed searches. With files that have more searchable attributes, WinFS may mean a clearer view of scattered information, less dependence on the concept of hierarchies of directories, and more reliance on queries to locate the information