Rumors About Microsoft Opening .PST Data Format

If you follow the information technology industry very close you might have heard some rumblings that Microsoft plans on opening up their proprietary PST data format documentation to developers under the OSP, or Open Specification Promise.  The documentation they release will contain how data is stored, guidance for accessing the data, and how to navigate the folder hierarchy and how various objects are stored.

By allowing this data format to be made open, developers can now read, create and interoperate with data inside client or target .PST files.  This is absolutely huge in my opinion, and I know that I don’t often compliment Microsoft for doing good things, but this is one case where I am applauding them.  Microsoft Outlook, which utilizes the .PST data format is by far the industry leading business email client.  Personally I have been using Microsoft Outlook since I left the farm, my entire business history is contained in my .PST file, that’s past appointments, archives, contacts, tasks, etc.  It’s mind boggling to consider until you start looking at alternative solutions (and there really isn’t one on the market right now).

Regarding the move to open up the .PST Format here are some comments I found online at ARS Technica:

The company says that providing access to the documentation will facilitate interoperability by enabling customers and vendors to access their data in .PST files across a variety of platforms. Organizations that need to exchange key corporate data in and out of Outlook, upload to the cloud, or comply with corporate governance policies, will find this particularly useful.

On the one hand, this could improve Microsoft’s chances to make the .PST file format the unofficial standard in the area of e-mail data storage, while it’s equally possible that it could help Outlook and Exchange competitors make it easier for companies to switch away from Redmond’s products. Microsoft wants its message to be that this is a good move, as it will make the data more portable across various applications and platforms.

Rackspace recently published an interesting outlook on their blog too about the future:

Longer term, Outlook could become an apps platform where we see all sorts of third-party apps being developed that add value to the core feature-set of Microsoft Outlook, similar to what you see with Facebook Apps today but on your desktop.  However, in order for this to play out, Microsoft will need to do more than just open up the storage format.  They will have to also redesign Outlook with apps in mind so that apps can be easily developed and can feel like an integrated part of Outlook.  They’ll also need to launch some sort of an “app store” model for third parties to distribute their apps, such as what has worked so successfully for Apple’s iPhone apps.

I also found a little bit more official post on bink.nu regarding this announcement, while I am not for certain if this announcement came directly from Microsoft or not, it sounds promising:

Data portability has become an increasing need for our customers and partners as more information is stored and shared in digital formats. One scenario that has come up recently is how to further improve platform-independent access to email, calendar, contacts, and other data generated by Microsoft Outlook.

On desktops, this data is stored in Outlook Personal Folders, in a format called a .pst file. Developers can already access the data stored in the .pst file, using Messaging API (MAPI) and the Outlook Object Model—a rich set of connections to all of the data stored by Outlook and Exchange Server—but only if Outlook is installed on the desktop.

In order to facilitate interoperability and enable customers and vendors to access the data in .pst files on a variety of platforms, we will be releasing documentation for the .pst file format. This will allow developers to read, create, and interoperate with the data in .pst files in server and client scenarios using the programming language and platform of their choice. The technical documentation will detail how the data is stored, along with guidance for accessing that data from other software applications. It also will highlight the structure of the .pst file, provide details like how to navigate the folder hierarchy, and explain how to access the individual data objects and properties.

This documentation is still in its early stages and work is ongoing. We are engaging directly with industry experts and interested customers to gather feedback on the quality of the technical documentation to ensure that it is clear and useful. When it is complete, it will be released under our Open Specification Promise, which will allow anyone to implement the .pst file format on any platform and in any tool, without concerns about patents, and without the need to contact Microsoft in any way.

I guess we will just have to wait and see how this unfolds.  For me personally I will be setting up Google Alerts because I want to know the exact minute it happens.