Microsoft PR just let us know that Microsoft released a free SQL Server add-in for MapPoint. It does what you’d think:“Customers using the MapPoint add-in for SQL Server can visualize and manipulate data directly on a MapPoint map.”
Chris Pendleton (who writes the now Bing Maps blog,at this new address) provides details:
The add-on solution is NOT web-based. But it is inexpensive. SQL Server 2008 Express is free,the add-on is free and desktop MapPoint is $300. Thus “you get the power of some hardcore data visualization with offline capabilities”for a few hundred dollars.
MapIt (announced recently) is for the enterprise and is NOT an offline solution (and costs way more,$4500).
He also notes,but does not answer this question:“?what in the world has taken us so long to be these two together?”