Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Community Technology Preview (CTP) Available for Download

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Customer Technology Preview (CTP) is now available for download. SQL Server 2008 R2 service packs are cumulative updates and upgrade all service levels of SQL Server 2008 R2 to SP1 CTP. This service pack contains the cumulative updates up to SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 cumulative update packages 6. You can use these packages to upgrade any of the following SQL Server 2008 R2 editions:

• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Computing Edition
• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Datacenter Edition
• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition and Developer Edition
• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition
• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Web Edition
• MicrosoftSQL Server 2008 R2 Workgroup Edition
• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express Edition

What’s New in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
Here are some of the new features in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1:

Dynamic Management Views for increased supportability:
sys.dm_exec_query_stats DMV is extended with additional columns to improve supportabilities over troubleshooting long-running queries. New DMVs and XEvents on select performance counters are introduced to monitor OS configurations and resource conditions related to the SQL Server instance.

ForceSeek for improved querying performance :
Syntax for FORCESEEK index hint has been modified to take optional parameters allowing it to control the access method on the index even further. Using old style syntax for FORCESEEK remains unmodified and works as before. In addition to that, a new query hint, FORCESCAN has been added. It complements the FORCESEEK hint allowing specifying ‘scan’ as the access method to the index. No changes to applications are necessary if you do not plan to use this new functionality.

Data-tier Application Component Framework (DAC Fx) for improved database upgradest:
The new Data-tier Application (DAC) Framework v1.1 and DAC upgrade wizard enable the new in-place upgrade service for database schema management. The new in-place upgrade service will upgrade the schema for an existing database in SQL Azure and the versions of SQL Server supported by DAC. A DAC is an entity that contains all of the database objects and instance objects used by an application. A DAC provides a single unit for authoring, deploying, and managing the data-tier objects.

Disk space control for PowerPivot:
This update introduces two new configuration settings that let you determine how long cached data stays in the system. In the new Disk Cache section on the PowerPivot configuration page, you can specify how long an inactive database remains in memory before it is unloaded. You can also limit how long a cached file is kept on disk before it is deleted.

For a detailed list of new features and improvements that are included in SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1, review the What's New Section in SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 Release Notes.

Download SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Community Technology Preview:
SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Community Technology Preview is now available for testing. You can download the CTP version of SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 at website Download Details: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Community Technology Preview

Note: These packages are available for testing purposes only in a non-production environment. To upgrade SQL Server 2008 R2 Express Edition, obtain the SP1 version of Express Edition or Express Edition with Advanced Services.

System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-Bit x86), Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 editions, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2