If you are interested in SQL Server 2008, you can download the latest CTP today. Here is a list of some of the new features available (excerpts from Microsoft's white paper)

Transparent Data Encryption

SQL Server 2008 enables encryption of entire databases, data files, and log files, without the need for application changes. Encryption enables organisations to meet the demands of regulatory compliance and overall concern for data privacy. Some of the benefits of transparent data encryption include searching encrypted data using either range or fuzzy searches, more secure data from unauthorised users, and data encryption. These can be enabled without changing existing applications.

External Key Management

SQL Server 2008 provides a comprehensive solution for encryption and key management. To meet the growing need for greater security of information within data centers, organisations have invested in vendors to manage security keys within the enterprise. SQL Server 2008 provides excellent support for this need by supporting third-party key management and hardware security module (HSM) products.

Enhanced Auditing

SQL Server 2008 improves compliance and security by allowing you to audit activity on your data. Auditing can include information about when data has been read, in addition to any data modifications. SQL Server 2008 has features such as enhanced configuration and management of audits in the server, which enable organisations to meet varied compliance needs. SQL Server 2008 can also define audit specifications in each database, so audit configuration can be ported with databases. Filtering of audits to specific objects allows better performance in audit generation and flexibility in configuration.

Enhanced Database Mirroring

|> Automatic page repair. SQL Server 2008 enables the principal and mirror computers to transparently recover from 823 and 824 errors on data pages by requesting a fresh copy of the corrupted page from the mirroring partner.
|> Improved performance. SQL Server 2008 compresses the outgoing log stream in order to minimize the network bandwidth required by database mirroring.
|> Enhanced supportability
|> SQL Server 2008 includes additional performance counters to enable more granular accounting of the time spent across the different stages of Database Management System (DBMS) log processing.
|> SQL Server 2008 includes new Dynamic Management Views and extensions of existing views to expose additional information about mirroring sessions.

Hot Add CPU

Extending existing support in SQL Server for adding memory resources online, Hot Add CPU allows a database to be scaled on demand. In fact, CPU resources can be added to SQL Server 2008 on supported hardware platforms without requiring application downtime.

Performance data collection

Performance tuning and troubleshooting are time-consuming tasks for the administrator. To provide actionable performance insights to administrators, SQL Server 2008 delivers more extensive performance data collection, a new centralised data repository for storing performance data, and new reporting and monitoring tools.

Extended Events

SQL Server Extended Events is a general event-handling system for server systems. The Extended Events infrastructure is a lightweight mechanism that supports capturing, filtering, and acting upon events generated by the server process. This ability to act upon events allows users to quickly diagnose run time problems by adding contextual data, such as Transact SQL call stacks or query plan handles, to any event. Events can be captured into several different output types, including Event Tracing for Windows (ETW). When Extended Events are output to ETW, correlation with operating system and database applications is possible, allowing for more holistic system tracing.

Backup compression

Keeping disk-based backups online is expensive and time consuming. With SQL Server 2008 backup compression, less disk I/O is required, less storage is required to keep backups online, and backups run significantly faster.

Data compression

Improved data compression enables data to be stored more effectively and reduces the storage requirements for your data. Data compression also provides significant performance improvements for large input/output-bound workloads such as data warehousing.

Resource Governor

SQL Server 2008 enables organisations to provide a consistent and predictable response to end users with the introduction of Resource Governor. Resource Governor enables database administrators to define resource limits and priorities for different workloads, which enables concurrent workloads to provide consistent performance to end users.

Plan Freezing

SQL Server 2008 enables greater query performance stability and predictability by providing new functionality to lock down query plans, enabling organisations to promote stable query plans across hardware server replacements, server upgrades, and production deployments.

These are just some of the new features. I plan to provide you with some tutorials of what SQL Server 2008 has to offer in the near future.

Labels: Microsoft, News, SQL Server

"It was important to our organization that we collaborate with a vendor that anticipates the needs of the SQL Server professional," said Denny Cherry, senior database administrator, Awareness Technologies and member of QASSE. "Quest Software offers a complete SQL Server solution and is committed to making it easier for database administrators to better manage their environments. I'm very excited to be a part of QASSE and am looking forward to providing resources for other IT professionals that experience the same day-to-day pains that I do."

QASSE provides Quest with feedback directly from members of the panel who face real-world challenges every day. "We have always strived to remain in close contact with the grass-root users of our products, and now QASSE allows us to formalize that relationship with some very talented SQL Server professionals," said Billy Bosworth, vice president and general manager of Quest's SQL Server business unit. In addition to providing feedback on Quest products, members of QASSE are also contributing to the fast-growing SQL Server community. By delivering white papers, technical briefs, podcasts, webcasts, etc., members are helping to educate their peers on how to best simplify administration, maximize performance and effectively manage change in dynamic SQL Server environments.

"Companies such as Quest Software are an essential part of the success of SQL Server," said Kim Saunders, senior director of SQL Server Marketing at Microsoft Corp. "Designed to take maximum advantage of the upcoming BI and data-management enhancements in SQL Server 2008, Quest's portfolio of SQL Server-related products helps ensure that our joint customers will be able to develop solutions for real-world business situations."

To learn more about the experts visit: www.quest.com/sqlexperts, and to download an exclusive white paper on SQL Server 2008 visit: www.quest.com/sql2008.

Pricing and Availability

To learn more about Quest's SQL Server solutions visit: www.quest.com/sql-server/.

About Quest Software, Inc.

Quest Software, Inc., Microsoft's 2007 Global Independent Software Vendor Partner of the Year, delivers innovative products that help organizations get more performance and productivity from their applications, databases and Windows infrastructure. Through a deep expertise in IT operations and a continued focus on what works best, Quest helps more than 50,000 customers worldwide meet higher expectations for enterprise IT. Quest Software helps organizations deliver, manage and control complex database environments through award-winning products for Oracle, SQL Server, IBM DB2, Sybase and MySQL. Quest Software can be found in offices around the globe and at www.quest.com.

Quest Software and Quest product names mentioned in this Release are trademarks or registered trademarks of Quest Software, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to planned new product releases that are based on assumptions regarding release dates, features and functionality, all of which are subject to change, delay or cancellation. Forward looking statements are identified by use of words such as "plans" or "expects". There is no guarantee or commitment that these products will become generally available or include all of the mentioned features or functionality. More information about potential factors that could affect our business or the assumptions underlying forward looking statements is included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, which is on file with the SEC and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Web Links Used in this Release:

SQL Server Environments - www.quest.com/sql-server/

SOURCE: Quest Software, Inc.

Quest Software, Inc.
Editorial Contact:
Rachel Gross, 949-754-8137
Rachel.Gross@quest.com

Labels: Microsoft, News, Quest, SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Roadmap Clarification

The past few months have been an amazing time for the SQL Server team as we gear up for the start of the global launch wave on February 27. The response to SQL Server 2008 has been overwhelmingly positive – in fact, we now have more 100,000 downloads of our CTPs. What is catching users’ eyes? Scalability improvements, Resource Governor, Filestream, spatial data support, data compression, policy-based management….the list goes on and on.

Simply put, SQL Server 2008 is a significant release for us – one that builds on all of the great things that we were able to deliver in SQL Server 2005. We see it as a critical step forward for our data platform and the foundation of our broader vision for business intelligence. Based on what we are hearing from customers, as well as the results of the latest benchmarks, it seems the industry agrees.

Not surprisingly, one of the top areas of focus for us is always to deliver a high quality product, and in a very predictable manner. This is vital for our customers and partners – which is why we’ve frequently discussed our goal of releasing SQL Server 2008 within 24-36 months after SQL Server 2005. We are on track to reach this goal.

To continue in this spirit of open communication, we want to provide clarification on the roadmap for SQL Server 2008. Over the coming months, customers and partners can look forward to significant product milestones for SQL Server. Microsoft is excited to deliver a feature complete CTP during the Heroes Happen Here launch wave and a release candidate (RC) in Q2 calendar year 2008, with final Release to manufacturing (RTM) of SQL Server 2008 expected in Q3. Our goal is to deliver the highest quality product possible and we simply want to use the time to meet the high bar that you, our customers, expect.

This does not in any way change our plans for the February 27 launch and we look forward to seeing many of you in Los Angeles and other events around the world. Please keep the great feedback coming and thank you again for your ongoing support of SQL Server!

Labels: Database, Microsoft, SQL Server

Labels: .Net, Framework, Microsoft, Release