Microsoft has posted for download the updated beta version of the SQL Server 2000 Driver for Java Database Connectivity (JDBC). In addition to the features available in the first beta release, beta 2 provides support for XA transactions, the sql_variant data type, and query timeout. Microsoft says the beta 2 program also improves performance and lays the foundation for additional enhancements such as improved security features and international support, which it will include before the final release of the driver later this year. For more information or to download beta 2, go to Microsoft's Web site