SQL Server Magazine Announces 2006 Editors' Choice Award Winners; ProClarity Analytics Garners Top Business Intelligence Honors; AMD Wins Best Hardware Award; and Tableau Software is Named Platinum Winner for Reporting

Business Wire, July 26, 2006

LOVELAND, Colo. -- SQL Server Magazine (http://www.sqlmag.com/), a Penton Media (OTCBB:PTON) property, announced today the winners of the first annual Editors' Choice Awards.

SQL Server Magazine helps professionals solve problems and gain functionality by reporting on relevant products' quality and utility. To recognize superior products in the market, the editors and writers of SQL Server Magazine created the first annual Editors' Choice Awards.

"The Editors' Choice Awards allows editors and writers to give our perspective on the products we find exceptional," said Karen Forster, Editorial and Strategy Director for the Windows IT Pro group.

Editors and writers chose platinum and gold winners in 16 categories based on each product's strategic importance to the market, its competitive advantages, and value to the customer.

"We're excited to have the opportunity to connect readers with the third-party vendors who serve them and to acknowledge excellence," said Forster.

Full details about the Editors' Choice Awards and TechEd awards are available at http://www.sqlmag.com or in the August issue of SQL Server Magazine.

The following products were voted winners of the 2006 SQL Server Magazine Editors' Choice Awards:

Application Development

--Platinum: AVIcode - Intercept Studio

--Gold: MicroFour - StrataFrame Application Framework

Business Intelligence

--Platinum: ProClarity Analytics

--Gold: Panorama Software

Backup and Remote/Disaster Recovery

--Platinum: Quest Software - LiteSpeed for SQL Server

--Gold: Sonasoft - SonaSafe for SQL Server

Database Design

--Platinum: Sybase - PowerDesigner 12

Database Development

--Platinum: Quest Software - SQL Turbo

--Gold: ApexSQL - Edit

Database Management

--Platinum: Red Gate Software - SQL Bundle Pro

--Gold: InterCerve - sqlSentry

--Gold: Embarcadero Technologies - DBArtisan

Data Recovery

--Platinum: Red Gate Software - SQL Log Rescue

--Gold: Lumigent - Log Explorer for SQL Server

High Availability

--Platinum: Neverfail Group - Neverfail for SQL Server

--Gold: Stratus Technologies - Active Upgrade

Hardware

--Platinum: AMD - AMD64

--Gold: HP - ProLiant DL585 Server

Migration

--Platinum: ATERAS - DB-Shuttle .NET

--Gold: AdventNet - SwisSQL Database Stored Procedure Migration Tools

Performance and Monitoring

--Platinum: Idera - SQL diagnostic manager

--Gold: Quest Software - Coefficient for SQL Server

Reporting

--Platinum: Tableau Software - Tableau

--Gold: Panorama Software - NovaView Reporting

Security

--Platinum: Lumigent - AuditDB

--Gold: Guardium - SQL Guard

Software Components & Middleware

--Platinum: ComponentOne - Studio Enterprise

--Gold: Red Brook Software - WiredNav

SQL Express/MSDE

--Platinum: Vale Software - Express Agent

--Gold: Layton Technology - Layton Database Manager

XML

--Platinum: Altova - XMLSpy 2006

--Gold: DataDirect Technologies - Stylus Studio 2006 XML Enterprise Edition

About Windows IT Media

Penton's Windows IT Media, the largest independent Windows IT community in the world, includes flagship print publication Windows IT Pro. First published in 1995, Windows IT Pro is the editorial leader in its field and has a paid subscription base of 105,000. The magazine is published in 13 languages and has an international reach into 160 countries. Windows IT Pro UPDATE, the group's flagship email newsletter, is the only e-newsletter to make BtoB Magazine's Media Power 50 list.

Windows IT Media also includes SQL Server Magazine and MSD2D. SQL Server Magazine has 30,000 paid subscribers, and three email newsletters sent to more than 130,000 opt-in subscribers. MSD2D is a rich online information resource for IT professionals, with a focus on the software developer community. MSD2D has a robust product mix that includes a vertical search engine, Web sites, partner directories, email newsletters, trade show programs and Web seminars.

The Windows IT Media network has 2.5 million unique visitors to its Web sites each month, and over 1 million (gross) subscribers who opt-in to one or more of our email newsletters. Windows IT Media is the world's leading producer of custom roadshows, paid conferences and paid workshops for Windows and SQL Server IT professionals.

For more information visit www.windowsitpro.com/pressroom, and www.windowsitmedia.com.