SQL Server 2008 RTM

Just in case anyone missed it SQL Server 2008 has gone RTM and is now available for download in the MSDN Library or through the links listed below:

Press Release
Trial Download (Full)
Free Download (Express)
Feature Pack Download (Redistributable components for SQL Server 2008, Add-on providers for SQL Server 2008 and Backward compatibility components for SQL Server 2008)
SQL Server Community

Features: Its a big deal

This is a big deal for us considering the amount of people that worked on this product and the significance it will have in the marketplace. Below is a diagram of how we see this SQL Server fitting into the ecosystem at a high level:

Also for a more detailed view, here is the bullet points of all the key new features added to SQL Server 2008:

Protect valuable information

Transparent Data Encryption
Extensible Key Management
Auditing

Ensure business continuity

Enhanced Database Mirroring
Automatic Recovery of Data Pages
Log Stream Compression

Enable predictable response

Resource Governor
Predictable Query Performance
Data Compression
Hot Add CPU

Manage by policies

Policy-Based Management
Streamlined Installation
Performance Data Collection

Simplify application development

Language Integrated Query (LINQ)
ADO.NET Object Services

Store any information

DATE/TIME, now with time-zone aware data types
HIERARCHY ID
FILESTREAM Data, story files directly to NTFS
Integrated Full Text Search
Sparse Columns
Large User-Defined Types
Spatial Data Types, for storing location data

Integrate any data

Backup Compression
Partitioned Table Parallelism
Star Join Query Optimizations
Grouping Sets
Change Data Capture
MERGE SQL Statement
SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)
Pipeline Improvements
SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)
Persistent Lookups

Deliver relevant information

Analysis Scale and Performance
Block Computations
Writeback

Drive actionable insights

Enterprise Reporting Engine
Internet Report Deployment
Manage Reporting Infrastructure
Report Builder Enhancements
Built-In Forms Authentication
Report Server Application Embedding
Microsoft Office Integration
Predictive Analysis

For the complete story visit: http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/overview.aspx

Visual Studio 2008 + SQL Server 2008

Also make sure to get Visual Studio 2008 SP1 in order to make sure your development environment works well with SQL 2008.

Feedback

# re: SQL Server 2008 RTM

That was inspiring,

That looks like some great features,

I will definatley upgrade to this

Keep up the good work 11/17/2009 4:10 AM | geeks

# re: SQL Server 2008 RTM

Thanks for reading! Be sure to also check out the update we are also working on for SQL Server 2008 called "R2" at this site: www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/R2.aspx 11/17/2009 9:30 AM | Dmitry Lyalin

# re: SQL Server 2008 RTM

Interesting, I can’t seem to find mention of .NET 3.5 SP1 going RTM yet. Among other things, isn’t that supposed to include ASP.NET MVC 1.0?However, nothing prevents installing it on a stand-alone server or virtual machine already, though connecting to the SQL Server 2008 through the IDE may be a problem. 2/17/2010 1:31 AM | Pokerturniere

# re: SQL Server 2008 RTM

I need to upgrade my businesses SQL, looking to implement this ASAP. 3/21/2010 8:45 PM | Diamond Rings

# re: SQL Server 2008 RTM

I want to know all the possible ways to convert null values to zeros in Textbox controls using Sql Server Reporting Services 2005.
I know I could use isnull(columnName,0) in my T-SQL select statement, but that's ugly. I can also use some function in the Value property turning this: =Fields!TranNo.Value into something like this: =cint(Fields!TranNo.Value). Is there anyway to use the Format property? I don't know much about the .NET code that you can write in a report. Is it only capable of Functions and Subs that get called from field values, or could I code some kind of event handler like in an MS Access report? OnReportLoad kinda thing? If I could do that, could I loop through the rows and columns of the dataset and swap out the nulls for zeros there?
Thank you for your help! I've been trying to figure this out and going crazy! 4/13/2010 10:34 PM | diabetes cure

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