Although this is great news for those of us waiting for the release of R2, even better news is that Microsoft has made available for download SQL Server 2008 R2 Express edition immediately! Not only that but they also released the SQL Server 2008 R2 Management tools as well as a TON of documentation and other guides this afternoon which you can download now. Without further ado, here are the various download links: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express With Management Tools Edition – Download Link Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express with Advanced Services – Download Link Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Management Studio Express Tools Download Link Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 R2 End User License Agreements Home Page for Microsoft® SQL Server 2008® R2 SQL Server 2008 R2 Books Online SQL Server 2008 R2 Training Kit “What’s New/Changed in SQL Server 2008” For those of you who have not been keeping up on the blogs for R2, here’s the what’s new for R2: Enhanced in this Release
What’s New in SQL Server InstallationWhat’s New (Database Engine)What’s New (Reporting Services) Reports can now include maps, sparklines, data bars, and indicators to depict data. Report parts enable collaboration through shared datasets, report items, and data regions that are centrally stored and managed. Dataset query results can be cached on first use or by schedule. SharePoint integration supports multiple SharePoint Zones, SharePoint Universal Logging, and local mode report viewing with Access Services and SharePoint lists. SharePoint lists, SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse, and SQL Azure Database can be used as data sources for reports.
Unchanged in this Release
What’s New (Analysis Services – Multidimensional Database)What’s New (Analysis Services – Data Mining)What’s New (Integration Services)What’s New (Replication)What’s New (Service Broker)
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