Microsoft Ships SQL Server 2008

By David Worthington & By Michelle Savage

September 15, 2008 —  (Page 1 of 2)
Many months after its official launch event, Microsoft in August delivered SQL Server 2008 to customers. The server is the vehicle for Microsoft’s ADO.NET data entity framework and is designed to accommodate large-scale data warehousing.

SQL Server 2008, formerly known by the code name "Katmai," is immediately available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers; pricing will remain consistent with SQL Server 2005. It ships in seven varieties, each targeting a different subset of customers.

Two of those versions, SQL Server 2008 Express and SQL Server Compact editions are generally available as a free download today.

Microsoft held a triple play launch event in February for SQL Server, Visual Studio 2008 and Windows Server 2008. SQL Server is the last of those products to ship, due in part to its introduction of a new data entity framework that is rooted in the company’s shelved Windows Future Storage effort.

The server includes Microsoft’s next-generation ADO.NET Entity Data Model (EDM), a model-based concept that provides developers with an additional layer of abstraction between the database and themselves. EDM enables custom views of the database for applications; entities are independent of their underlying data store representations.

The entities can be retrieved and queried natively within any .NET language by using LINQ (Language Integrated Query). In that vein, Microsoft also keyed in on data warehousing.

The server’s data warehousing capabilities are more advanced than SQL Server 2005, with updates to SQL Server Integration Services to load and add data to a data warehouse, and the SQL Server engine’s change-capture functionality.

It can also synchronize data from devices to the central data store and has support for geospatial data.

Additionally, Microsoft has integrated SQL Server with Microsoft Office system front-end tools to provide for more reporting capabilities. The database also introduces a rules-based system that defines a common set of policies for database operations, as well as new resource governing and failover capabilities.

Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade
According to Dan Jones, program manager on the SQL Server team, while many customers may be reluctant to upgrade from 2005 at first, there are many compelling reasons to do so. Jones cited the top 10 new features in a press conference:

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