Microsoft Corp has invested another $1m in Berkeley, California-based Natural Language Inc, taking its stake in the privately-held company to over 10%. The two also announced that theur are working to investigate the use of natural language technology in future versions of Microsoft’s products, and Microsoft has been an investor since June 1987, when it bought a licence to integrate Natural Language technology with its products: the value of that original agreement was also $1m (CI No 719). Natural Language’s key product is Data Talker, designed to generate SQL queries from plain Enlish input: it supports Sybase, Oracle, Ingres, Informix, and Rdb and runs on all major Unix computers and VAX/VMS and Ultrix RISC computers from DEC, Natural says.
