It's here!  The latest version of SQL Server is out, and it's a big release. This is an exciting time for us - this release is an "R2" - a first for SQL Server. No, it isn't a service pack, and no, we didn't change the product so much that it affects anything that you've already installed in SQL Server 2008. You're still able to upgrade from SQL Server 2000 and higher, you get all of the benefits of moving from an earlier platform. Why this kind of timing and naming for the product? And what is different in this release than in SQL Server 2008? And Good questions all.

First, the reason for the release schedule was to properly align Microsoft's flagship database product with Microsoft Office, and with Microsoft's "cloud" strategy. One of the strengths of the SQL Server platform is that it works well with our other products, and in Microsoft Office 2010 and the latest release of SharePoint we have included amazing array of Business Intelligence features for the "non-IT" worker. This means your business users can get at the data they need and want, and the IT department can still control and protect the data the way it should be. It's the best of all worlds.

But it doesn't stop there. As you may have heard, Microsoft is "all in", with a comprehensive cloud strategy.  We have not only a complete cloud development platform (Azure) but also a relational database offering (SQL Azure) that goes beyond just hosting a SQL Server Instance in a rack somewhere. SQL Server 2008 R2 allows you to connect to SQL Azure like you're connecting to a local server. You now have capacity on demand, without losing any of your local systems or control.

And there's more - this release also includes the "Datacenter" edition, with support for up to 256 logical processors, data and backup compression (from SQL Server 2008) and the ability to use SQL Server with "Live Migration" - a virtualization technology that lets you move virtualized servers without downtime. These features, along with rapid adoption in the most mission-critical, enterprise-class environments means that you should consider SQL Server as a "Tier 1" application platform.

These are indeed exciting times for the data professional. Make sure you hit these links to learn more - your organization is counting on you as the data professional to know what's new and useful in the data world. You can also post any questions you have on this post - I'll try and make sure someone gets back with you:

SQL Server 2008 R2 Launch Site: http://www.sqlserverlaunch.com/

Official Microsoft Site for SQL Server 2008 R2: http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/R2.aspx

Ross Mistry, a noted author on many Microsoft topics, has his latest book out, and it's on SQL Server 2008 R2. We're able to make that available to you for free in electronic form - just go here to pick up your copy: http://blogs.msdn.com/microsoft_press/archive/2010/04/14/free-ebook-introducing-microsoft-sql-server-2008-r2.aspx

Just after a new release of SQL Server, I often get e-mails and calls from folks with this question: “Can I upgrade from Customer Technical Preview (CTP) x or Beta #x or Release Candidate (RC) to the “Released to Manufacturing” (RTM) version?”

Unfortunately, no. Right up until the last minute, things are changing in the code – and you want that to happen. Our internal testing runs right up until the second we lock down for release, and we watch the CTP/RC/Beta reports to make sure there are no show-stoppers, and fix what we find. And it’s not just “big” changes you need to worry about – a simple change in one line of code can have a massive effect.

Even if you've done this before and things seemed to go well, you may be in a difficult situation because of it.I’ve dealt with someone who faced this exact situation in SQL Server 2008. They upgraded (which is clearly prohibited in the documentation) from a CTP to the RTM version over a year ago. Everything was working fine.

But then…one day they had an issue. Couldn’t fix it themselves, we took a look, days went by, and we finally had to call in the big guns for support. Turns out, the upgrade was the problem. So we had to come up with some elaborate schemes to get the system migrated over while they were in production. This was painful for everyone involved. So in general it's just a really not a good idea.

There is one caveat to this story – if you are a “TAP” customer (you’ll know if you are), we help you move from the CTP products to RTM, but that’s a special case that we track carefully and send along special instructions and tools to help you along. That level of effort isn’t possible on a large scale, so it’s not just a magic tool that we run to upgrade from CTP to RTM. So again, unless you’re a TAP customer, it’s a no-no.

This past week we released SQL Server 2008 R2 to manufacturing. This is a huge accomplishment for the team and our customers are anxious to get their hands on it. I came across one blog post that expressed disappointment that the only thing they could download was the evaluation edition – they couldn’t wait to get their hands on a fully licensed edition, which will be available shortly.

Rather than go into a laundry list of what’s in the release here are links to a few of the RTM stories:

• Mary-Jo Foley: Microsoft: SQL Server 2008 R2 crosses the finish line
• PC Mag: Microsoft’s SQL Server 2008 R2 To Hit RTM in May
• SQL Server Magazine: Microsoft Releases SQL Server 2008 R2 to Manufacturing

Even though I’m a Manageability Guy and there are some terrific manageability features in R2 the most important feature, in my opinion, is PowerPivot. PowerPivot is going to change everything about business intelligence for IT and information workers. Early in my career as an IT Pro I designed a system that used Excel Pivot Tables that were loaded with massive volumes of sales data. Unfortunately I had to have tens of Pivot Tables spread out across an almost equal number of Excel Workbooks. Since there were so many files and tables I had to build a monthly process for refreshing the data. Plus if one of the users wanted a new view of the data I had to craft it by hand for them. It’s an understatement to say this was a pain. If I had PowerPivot back then it would have greatly simplified my life and better supported the needs of my users. As you read up on PowerPivot you’re going to think it’s too good to be true, take it for a test drive to convince yourself how truly remarkable this technology is and how it’ll transform the way you think about BI.

Though short, this article in PC World makes an important point: the PowerPivot feature in SQL Server 2008 R2 is incredibly valuable to small businesses. I mentioned in a previous post that in another “life”, in enterprise IT for a Fortune 10 company, I built a “BI” app using a SQL Server backend and pivot tables in Excel. Given all the complexities back then the end-users relied on my expertise to deliver their precious data each month.The operative word in there is “enterprise”. Back then this sort of environment was out of reach of most small businesses and required certain expertise.

But isn’t BI important to small business too? Absolutely! And until now it has, for he most part, been too complex for small businesses. With the introduction of PowerPivot small business have access to an intensely powerful set of capabilities that are extremely friendly. If you own or work for a small business I encourage you to check it out for yourself.