Hi,
I think one big problem lies in an issue with update 29 and the Microsoft JDBC driver. We should probably have a bigger warning up, but many people (all over the internet, not just us. For example, see here) have run into problems using SQL Server and Java update 29. This thread just mentions "problems", but there's a link to download the update 27 installer. You'll need to uninstall 29 and install 27.
Hard to say if that's the problem you're running into, but it's definitely a place to start. We should have this publicized a bit more visibly here on the forum somewhere.
As for everything else, you really probably should try to call Vanessa and talk about it. This last release involved a bit of confusion, but overall it's gone over very well once people understand everything.
Regards,