SQL Server 2012 Editions

SQL Server 2012 Editions are announced for use of data professionals. The latest Microsoft SQL Server release SQL Server 2012 is introducing new SQL Server editions.

The complete list of SQL Server 2012 editions can be listed as follows:

• SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition
• SQL Server 2012 Business Intelligence Edition
• Standard Edition
• Web Edition
• Express with Advanced Services Edition
• Express with Tools Edition
• Express Edition

Besides above SQL Server editions list, Evaluation edition and Developer editions also exist. These two SQL Server editions have same features with SQL Server 2012 Enterprise edition. On the other hand, Evaluation editions are valid for a limited time. SQL Server 2012 Developer Edition can only be used for development purposes and cannot be used in production environments.

A full list of features compared for main SQL Server 2012 editions can be found at Microsoft SQL Server portal SQL Server

If you want to get a full feature comparison chart for SQL Server 2012 editions, you should check the BOL (Books OnLine) for SQL Server.

New SQL Date and Time Data Types with SQL Server 2008

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 has introduced new SQL Server data types SQL Date and SQL Time for sql developers.

After Microsoft SQL Server 2008, t-sql developers are able to work with Date data types as well as Time data types. SQL programmers can now seperate the datetime data types to date and time data types.

If you execute the following sql script, you will see how new sql data types Date and Time can be used in your sql codes.

DECLARE @date_variable as date = GETDATE()
DECLARE @time_variable as time = GETDATE()

select @date_variable
2011-02-20
select @time_variable
23:57:33.4370000

Microsoft SQL Server 2011 Release Date for CTP 1

Microsoft has released the next version of SQL Server to data platform community preview. The free download of Microsoft SQL Server 2011 code-name Denali is released as Community Technology Preview version as CTP 1.
The first CTP SQL Server 2011 release date is 11/8/2010.

SQL Server professionals can download SQL Server Denali from Microsoft Downloads. The free download includes SQL Server 2011 Enterprise Evaluation Edition in X86 and X64 64-bit versions.

For download please review Microsoft Downloads
For more information, please visit sql tutorials related with what is new in SQL Server 2011 and SQL Server 2011 features.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Released to Manufacture

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 is released to manufacture. This means that final build of the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 is completed and RTM (release to manufacture) version is released.

Many of database professionals were impatience about the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 release date. Finally sql developers, database administrators and business intelligence professionals will see SQL Server 2008 R2 on the market.

I expact to see the RTM release version of MS SQL Server 2008 R2 soon on MSDN for free download of MSDN subscribers.

SQL Server 2008 R2 Developers Training Kit

In one of my previous posts, I have announced that Microsoft has released the next version of MS SQL Server 2008 and you can download SQL Server 2008 R2 CTP.

Now Microsoft SQL Team has released the SQL Server 2008 R2 Developers Training Kit.
I have given more details about the SQLServer 2008 Training Kit for developers like the content of the sql training kit and download link from Microsoft Downloads web portal at my recent post Download SQL Server 2008 R2 Developers Training Kit

I believe the SQL training kit will be very useful not for only new sql learners but who wants to get detailed information and wants to see demos and do hands on labs training on MS SQL Server 2008 R2 enhancements introduced to sql developers.

SQL Backup Compression Tools

With increased sizes of SQL Server databases serving as the increased amount of data collecting and processig web application, taking sql backups and storing and archiving these sql backup files is becoming more difficult each day.

SQL professionals, especially the SQL Server database administrators require to compress sql database backup files for gaining storage sizes for future use.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 has introduced the sql backup compression feature in order to solve this problem of SQL DBAs.

Of course, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 does not have the sql backup compression feature. But using third-party tools, database administrators can carry out the same solution for their SQL2005 database servers.

The two sql backup compression tools that can be used for this purpose Red-Gate SQL Backup and LiteSpeed SQL Server Backup Compression Tool.

For more information on SQL compression tools please refer to SQL Server Backup Compression Software Guide.

Microsoft SQL Server Backup Compression

Microsoft SQL Server Backup Compression

SQL backup compression is a new feature in SQL Server 2008.

Beginning with Microsoft SQL Server 2008, SQL Server backup compression and creating compressed sql database backups and restore compressed sql backups are features and enhancements supported by Microsoft SQL Server.

So MS SQL Server 2008 backup compression and backup compression in SQL Server 2008 R2 including all editions are officially supported by Microsoft.

In order to create a sql backup compress in SQL Server 2008 using the sql Backup Task on Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), SQL Server administrators should only select the compress database option on this builtin backup software compression tool for SQL2008.

SQL Backup tools used for SQL Server backup task generally support SQL Server backup compession. Here you can find a list of SQL Server Backup Tools as well as a great list of SQL Server tools.