The latest SQL 2011 (2012?) bits are ready for public consumption, including the long-awaited Project Crescent.
You’ll need a Sharepoint 2010 SP1 instance to get a taste of it though.
Some of the key features:
- Column-store indexes blow away performance ratings and flip SQL’s architecture on its side.
- Great for read-only snapshots of data but can’t update the column-store indexed tables
- Always-on – primary with up to 4 standby servers with read-only capabilities
- BISM, BISM, BISM
- Analysis Services multi-dimensional or tabular (Vertipaq in-memory) modes. Run setup twice for 2 instances.
- T-SQL Windowing functions like Lag and Lead.
- SSDT “Data Dude”
- Relationship diagrams in PowerPivot
- Ragged columns, Shared Connections in SSIS
- Data taps in SSIS
- Master Data in Excel
- Data Quality Services
Some of the quirks and gotchas:
- In January 2012 there is a good possibility you will be scrambling for a version that doesn’t expire in 180 days. Otherwise your 180 day install will just stop working. The YSQL2.012K feature.
- Running the download file doesn’t actually install the software. It just uncompresses it automatically. Then goes away.
- Analysis Services multi-dimensional or tabular (Vertipaq in-memory) modes. Run setup twice for 2 instances. Which one do I choose? The one without the features like parent-child relationships and many-to-many dimensions but supported by PowerPivot? Or “legacy” mode? Both will likely eat server resources.
- Reporting Services wouldn’t let me log in until I added my account as admin, which required me to login somehow. Run IE as Admin to get around this.
- No backwards compatibility for PowerPivot < CTP3.
- MS appears to be killing off those developers who still want to run SQL on Windows XP. Denali won’t work on XP.
- You need to install Powershell 2.0 first.
- You need admin rights on the box to work with Analysis Services tabular models.
- Installing Office 2010 after may break Analysis Services connectivity for some Reporting Services features.
- Installing some components like DQS and Integration Services in a non-default location won’t work.
- Clicking on multiple SQL files opens multiple instances of SSMS. Don’t click on multiple files… OR ELSE!
- Reinstall Visual Studio SP1 after installing CTP3. It will break VS 2010.
- VS 2008 BIDS stops working? Haven’t experienced this yet and hope I don’t.
Lots of stuff to take in.
