What's new in Microsoft SQL Server 2008?
At the heart of many organisations' networks is the database - often the highly powerful and trusted SQL Server. So, when a new version comes along, it's not a trivial matter to update - you need to be sure of the benefits. With SQL Server 2008, the benefits are huge.
26 June 2008
Behind SQL Server 2008 is a new Microsoft vision - to be able to store data of many types and from multiple sources, and to make these available through a wide range of devices. Sounds good - and it's certainly what organisations are looking for. Microsoft calls it the 'data platform vision'.
Microsoft groups its SQL Server improvements into three marketing-focussed areas: 'trusted' (security, reliability and scalability), 'productive' (the reduction of the time and costs of managing data) and 'intelligent' (providing comprehensive information when and where it is needed).
With SQL Server 2008, entire databases, data files and log files can be encrypted without having to make changes to applications.
Also to aid with security, SQL Server 2008 provides comprehensive support for key management - especially in terms of third-party key management and hardware security module products.
Auditing is substantially improved, enabling data to be audited when read as well as when it is changed. Auditing specifications can be stored within the database itself, so that when the database is moved, the audit configuration can be moved with it. There's greater focus on business continuity - one of the key issues with any enterprise-sized databases. For example, mirroring is enhanced, with automatic page repair - by requesting fresh copies of mirrored data from the mirroring partner.
Compressing the outgoing log stream reduces the network bandwidth needed to mirror data. In the same way, backups are also compressed, so backups take less bandwidth and can be stored faster - better still, backups on line run significantly faster. And the data itself is also compressed, as SQL Server 2008 stores data more efficiently, reducing the storage requirements for databases.
A key tool for managing SQL Server's resources is the Resource Governor. This enables database administrators to proactively manage the server's resources, by setting limits and priorities for different workloads. This makes it easier for workloads to run concurrently and provides more consistent performance at an end-user level.
A major new introduction in SQL Server 2008 is Policy-Based Management - a new management framework for the SQL Server database. This is used to manage one (or more) instances of SQL Server 2008. The SQL Server 2008 Management Studio is used to create management policies that manage most of the elements of SQL Server, including server instances, databases and server objects. The support for Language Integrated Query (LINQ) means that developers can query data using programming languages such as C# or Visual Basic .NET - instead of having to use SQL statements. FILESTREAM, another new feature in SQL Server 2008, enables binary data (such as documents and images) to be stored in the NTFS file system with the document also managing to remain an integral part of the database. This has the advantage of enabling more efficient file operations, such as backing up. A new Report Designer makes it easier to create detailed reports - if it's in SQL Server, you're going to be able to report on it. The resulting output is optimised for Microsoft Office, regardless of how and where the report was designed. Visual reporting components are extended, so that maps and charts can be included in a more accessible and understandable way. SQL Server integrates better with SharePoint Server 2007, which becomes a centralised place for the management of SQL Server reports.
The updates and improvements go on and on, showing again and again Microsoft's strengths in developing server products for the enterprise.
Its integration with other Microsoft products, such as Windows Server, Office, SharePoint Server and the Microsoft development tools demonstrate a complete end-to-end solution for today's organisations. Together, they make one of the most compelling arguments for updating your server infrastructure - providing access to phenomenal power with outstanding control.
