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It has been a long time since Microsoft Corp. first entered the database world with a relabeled version of the Sybase relational database management system. From its humble beginnings, the Microsoft product has taken over the SQL Server name (Sybase Inc.'s SQL Server is now called Sybase Adaptive Server), lost all traces of Sybase programming, gained features that rival those of Oracle and become an integral part of Microsoft's backoffice strategy. SQL Server 2000 runs only on Windows NT 4.0 or 2000. Despite these and other shortcomings, early adopters of SQL Server 2000 say they are pleased with the new version of Microsoft's RDBMS. This profile of early SQL Server 2000 use shows why, at least at the large workgroup level, Microsoft appears to be ready to make significant inroads against entrenched competitors like Oracle Corp.