Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch (Includes Software Assurance)

Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch is a simplified integrated development environment (IDE) for individual developers to build business applications. Once completed, Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch applications can be deployed to Microsoft Windows desktop clients, browser clients, or the cloud without requiring any extra coding. Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch's included templates and components for common business applications allow developers to create applications without writing code. This product could be helpful for organisations with users who don't have much coding knowledge but need to create applications with custom business logic and rules.

Note: Some organisations might not need to request this product. Licenced users of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 products that include a subscription to the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) can obtain Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch for free from the MSDN website.

Development Tools

Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch's wizards and tools walk developers through designing screens or forms, applying themes, and specifying data sources. Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch applications can pull data from Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Azure, and Microsoft SharePoint and also from Oracle and other third-party databases. Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch applications natively support exporting data to Microsoft Excel for sharing and reporting.

Users can download prebuilt application shells known as Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch Starter Kits to give applications the look and feel of typical Microsoft software. Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch Starter Kits are available for common business applications such as expense and time trackers, status reports, performance reviews, and customer service.

Though advanced coding skills are not required, developers who use Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch can choose to program in either Visual Basic or Visual C#. They can also open Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 LightSwitch projects with Microsoft Visual Studio Professional, Premium, or Ultimate if they need more advanced development tools or languages.

Other Editions of Microsoft Visual Studio

See this table for a comparison of Microsoft Visual Studio LightSwitch and Microsoft Visual Studio Professional. For organisations that do not need the full functionality of Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft offers free, downloadable Express editions of Visual Basic, Visual C#, Visual C++, and Visual Web Developer.

Acquiring the Installation Media and Licence Key

Installing this product requires installation media and a licence key.  The licence allows you to use the installation media to install the product on as many computers as you have received donations for. This quantity is specified in the donation email sent to your organisation email address after your eligibility has been verified and your administrative fee has been received. A separate email will give you information about obtaining your licence key.

Software Assurance

Under the Software Assurance program, you have the right to install any new release of products covered in the agreement during the term of your coverage.