SQL Server 'Denali' highlights

13th November 2010

On Wednesday at the two Adelaide sessions of the PDC Roadshow I gave the world’s fastest overview of interesting things coming in the next version of SQL Server – codenamed ‘Denali’.

I’d even whipped up some PowerPoint slides, but due to time constraints didn’t get to share them with everyone, so I’ve summarised the main points here:

Main highlights

• http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=6a04f16f-f6be-4f92-9c92-f7e5677d91f9
• SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse
  • Microsoft Critical Advantage Program
• SQL Azure Reporting
• SQL Azure
• Windows Azure Marketplace DataMarket

Areas unchanged in CTP1

• Analysis Services
• Data Quality Services
• Reporting Services
• Replication
• Service Broker

SQL Server Engine

• SMSS uses VS2010 shell
• Transact-SQL debugging and IntelliSense
• Transact-SQL Snippets
• Contained databases
• SEQUENCE objects
• Circular arc segment (spatial)
• User-defined server roles

SQL Server Integration Services

• “Biggest change since 2005”
• New deployment model
• Object Impact and Data Lineage Analysis
  • Dependency Designer
• Merge and Merge Join memory improvements
• Designer enhancements
• Edit disconnected components
• Data correction component

‘Atlanta’

• Runs on your SQL Server system Uploading information to cloud service
  • Configuration
  • Performance, etc
• Browse using a dashboard
• Give access to Microsoft Support

‘Crescent’

• Web-based reporting experience that offers rich visualization to let you project the story about your data to end users and other business users

Microsoft Certified Masters

• Just sit the exams (don’t have to do all the training)
• No testing centres in Australia yet

If you’re interested in finding out about these features (and more), Roger Noble and Rob Farley will be talking all about ‘Denali’ at this month’s Adelaide SQL User Group (Tuesday 23rd November).