Introduction

Notable improvements arrived in 2010 for SQL Server, Microsoft’s database management and business intelligence software. An interim software version, SQL Server 2008 R2, delivered important enhancements to analytics and reporting as well as scalability and management improvements for the product’s core database technology. Also, the Microsoft-hosted SQL Azure service became a paid offering, providing database hosting in Microsoft data centers with flexible, usage-based pricing. In the near term, R2 will probably see quicker uptake than SQL Azure, since it will benefit organizations that want to make broader use of business intelligence, especially those moving to the latest versions of Office and the SharePoint Web platform. However, SQL Azure could have a bigger long-term impact, enabling organizations to build highly scalable, database-driven Web applications with lower upfront costs than they could with on-premises.

Business Intelligence: Pursuing Reach and Consistency

Business intelligence remains one of SQL Server’s most important missions and is the major focus of the SQL Server 2008 R2 release. Business intelligence is a catchall term for reporting and data analysis technologies that draw data from operational systems to help organizations understand what’s going on and make strategic decisions. The most important business intelligence improvements in SQL Server 2008 R2 include the following: