14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is gearing up to release SQL Server 2008 R2 RTM, with the official sign-off date now approximately a month away, and the company is also working to get developers familiarized with the new product. The Developers Training Kit for the software giant’s data platform has been available for download with SQL Server 2008 R2 still in pre-release, Community Technology Preview testing stages. The latest refresh to the SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Training Kit, namely the March 2010 Update 2, is currently up for grabs via the Microsoft Download Center.
“SQL Server 2008 R2 offers an impressive array of capabilities for developers that build upon key innovations introduced in SQL Server 2008. The SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Training Kit is ideal for developers who want to understand how to take advantage of the key improvements introduced in SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 in their applications, as well as for developers who are new to SQL Server. The training kit is brought to you by Microsoft Developer and Platform Evangelism,” Microsoft stated.
According to the Redmond company, the Training Kit was designed to come in handy to developers that are extending the data platform, but also to evangelists, technical specialists and consultants. The promise from Microsoft is that devs who will leverage the Kit will be able to build applications that tap the specific features of both SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2. Most importantly, the Kit is designed so that devs new to SQL Server will be able to start building on top of the platform.
All SQL Server 2008 R2 SKUs are planned for availability by May 2010, with Madison being the only exception with a GA deadline set for later in the first half of 2010. The edition formerly codenamed “Madison” was announced at the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) Community Summit, and will be officially labeled Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse. At the SQL Server event, Ted Kummert, senior vice president of the Business Platform Division, Microsoft, also announced another new, high-end edition of its next-generation data platform, namely Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Datacenter.
Microsoft noted that, “The training kit includes the following content:
“• Presentations (15) “o SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Overview Part I - SQL Server 2008 Review; o SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Overview Part II - Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2; o SQL Server 2008: Filestream; o SQL Server 2008: Spatial; o SQL Server 2008: T-SQL; o SQL Server 2008: Date and Time Types; o SQL Server 2008: SQLCLR; o SQL Server 2008: Reporting Services; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Introducing Application and Multi-Server Management with SQL Server 2008 R2 and Visual Studio 2010; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Working with Data Tier Application Projects in Visual Studio 2010; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Managing Change in Data Tier Application Projects with Visual Studio 2010 and SQL Server 2008 R2; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Querying Events in SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Designing SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Event Models and Adapters; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Installing, Deploying and Maintaining the SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Runtime Engine.
“• Demos (24)
“o SQL Server 2008: AdventureWorks Racing All-Up Demo; o SQL Server 2008: Spatial Demo; o SQL Server 2008: Spatial Types; o SQL Server 2008: Introduction to Filestream; o SQL Server 2008: SQL CLR Nullable Types; o SQL Server 2008: Programming with Filestream; o SQL Server 2008: Reporting Services Web Application Integration; o SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Date and Time Support; o SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Table-Valued Parameters; o SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Row Constructors; o SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Grouping Sets; o SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Merge; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Creating a Utility Control Point; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Enrolling a Managed Instance; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Creating Data-Tier Applications; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Data-Tier Application Deployment; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Managing Change in Data Tier Application Projects in Visual Studio 2010; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Querying Events in SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Advanced SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Event Queries; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Working with SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight CTI Events and Advance Time Settings; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Creating a SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Input Adpater; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Choosing a SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Development Model; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Using the SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Event Flow Debugger.
“• Hands-on Labs (13)
“o SQL Server 2008: How to build your first Web Application with SQL Server and ASP.NET; o SQL Server 2008: Using Spatial Data in TSQL; o SQL Server 2008: Using Spatial Data in Managed Code; o SQL Server 2008: Using SQL CLR in SQL Server 2008; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Introduction to PowerPivot; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Introduction to Reporting Services Improvements; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Introduction to StreamInsight and Complex Event Processing; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Introduction to Data-tier Applications; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Creating and Deploying a Data-Tier Application; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Managing Change in Data-Tier Application Projects in Visual Studio 2010; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Querying Events in SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight using LINQ; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Working with the SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Samples; o SQL Server 2008 R2: Working with the SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Event Flow Debugger. “• Videos (35)
“o SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Overview Part I - SQL Server 2008 Review; o SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Overview Part II - Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2; o Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight; o Demo: Real Time Analytics with SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight; o Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2 Application and Multi-Server Management; o Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services; o Introduction To SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight and Complex Event Processing; o Introducing PowerPivot for Excel 2010 and SharePoint 2010; o Presentation: Introducing Application and Multi-Server Management with SQL Server 2008 R2 and Visual Studio 2010; o Demo: Creating a Utility Control Point; o Demo: Enrolling a Managed Instance; o Presentation: Working with Data Tier Application Projects in Visual Studio 2010; o Demo: Creating Data-Tier Applications; o Demo: Data-Tier Application Deployment; o Presentation: Managing Change in Data Tier Application Projects with Visual Studio 2010 and SQL Server 2008 R2 (Part I); o Presentation: Managing Change in Data Tier Application Projects with Visual Studio 2010 and SQL Server 2008 R2 (Part II); o Demo: Managing Change in Data Tier Application Projects in Visual Studio 2010; o Presentation: Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight (Part I); o Presentation: Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight (Part II); o Demo: Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight; o Presentation: Querying Events in SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight (Part I); o Presentation: Querying Events in SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight (Part II); o Demo: Querying SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Using LINQ; o Presentation: Querying Events in SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight (Part III); o Demo: Advanced SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Event Queries; o Presentation: Designing SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Event Models and Adapters (Part I); o Presentation: Designing SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Event Models and Adapters (Part II); o Demo: Working with SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight CTI Events and Advance Time Settings; o Presentation: Designing SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Event Models and Adapters (Part III); o Demo: Creating a SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Input Adapter; o Presentation: Installing, Deploying and Maintaining the SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Runtime Engine (Part I); o Presentation: Installing, Deploying and Maintaining the SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Runtime Engine (Part II); o Demo: Choosing a SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Development Model; o Presentation: Installing, Deploying and Maintaining the SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Runtime Engine (Part III); o Demo: Using the SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Event Flow Debugger.”
SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Training Kit (March 2010 Update 2) is available for download here.