sql server 2008 r2 new features...

in April 22nd 2010 SQL Server 2008 R2 is released to production. I tried to get the list of new features added to R2 however I couldnt find all the new features in a single thread so Im writing this article to populate the list of new features added to SQL Server 2008 R2. There are many new features added to DBA and BI however I feel we have more features for BI.

New Features for DBA

Architecture

Changes or Additions to Installation

• SQL Server 2008 R2 RS no longer supports Win 2k3 running on Itanium processor
• New role based installation for DB engine and Analysis services
• No more feature usage reporting option, only error & usage reporting
• ACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS parameter required for unattended installation
• RS installation in SharePoint mode

Changes or Additions to Hardware requirements

• Max CPU limited to 8 in SQL Enterprise R2 Edition
• DataCenter edition supports more than 8 physical processors (OS max) and up to 256 logical processors

Changes or Additions to Editions of SQL Server
We have two new editions that is accompanied with SQL Server 2008 R2. Below are the two new editions

• DataCenter – for large application workloads, virtualization and consolidation, and management for an organizations database infrastructure.
• Parallel Data Warehouse – highly scalable data warehouse appliance-based solution.

Administration

Feature	Description
SQL Server Utility	Provides holistic view of SQL Server resource health
Data Tier Application	Simplifies the development, deployment, and management of data-tier elements that support a client-server or multi-tier application
Connectivity to SQL Azure	SQL Server 2008 R2 introduces the ability to connect to SQL Azure Database from the client utilities
Network Connectivity	The VIA protocol is deprecated SQL Server
SQL Server Powershell provider	SQLSERVER:Utility and SQLSERVER:DAC folders in powershell to support SQL Server utility & Data tier application
Unicode Compression	New compression algorithm Standard Compression Scheme for Unicode (SCSU) is added

New Features for BI (Business Intelligence)

Reporting Service Enhancements

• Map and spatial data visualization
• Report Builder 3.0
• ATOM data feeds
• AJAX Report Viewer
• Shared Data Sets
• Enhanced SharePoint Integration for SharePoint 2007 and SharePoint 2010
• New 2010 SOAP Endpoint
• Aggregates of Aggregates and much more

Managed Self Service BI

Power Pivot for Excel

• Brings analysis service to users desktop
• Allows IT users to create solutions in Microsoft Excel interface
• Data will be refreshed periodically

Power Pivot for SharePoint

• Management dashboard for SharePoint administrators
• Power Pivot health information, hardware resources and data refreshes will be available

Master Data Services

• Helps an organization to manage master data
• Data will be standardized, streamlined, and organized into relationships for analysis