SQL Server 2012 Targets BI, Development, Availability

The next version of SQL Server, SQL Server 2012 (formerly code-named SQL Server Denali), will be generally available in the first half of 2012 and is designed to enable more rapid development, easier deployment and management, faster business intelligence (BI) and data analysis, and greater uptime with more capable disaster recovery capability. With these and other updates available in SQL Server 2012, the product should provide a compelling upgrade from earlier versions, especially for customers who have not upgraded since SQL Server 2005.

Focus on Business Intelligence

A primary focus of SQL Server 2012 is easier and more powerful BI. BI is a catchall term for the process of deriving business trends and decisions from operational databases (such as sales orders or customer support events) by summarizing multiple data points. SQL Server 2012 includes an updated version of PowerPivot, first included in SQL Server 2008 R2, and Power View, a new self-service BI reporting feature that enables data analysis by less technical users, with data from IT managed sources, but without requiring ongoing support from IT to provide data to be analyzed. The BI tools and additional BI changes should also require less development time before users can begin deriving insights from the data.