SQL Server 2008

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 is at the heart of a comprehensive data platform that enables you to access and manipulate business-critical data from a variety of diverse devices, platforms, and data services across the enterprise.

Top New Features

Map data structures to business entities by using the new ADO.NET Entity Framework

Use consistent syntax to query diverse data through .NET Language Integrated Query (LINQ) extensions to Microsoft Visual C# and Microsoft Visual Basic.NET

Create occasionally connected solutions using SQL Server 2008 Compact Edition and Microsoft Synchronization Services

Consolidate data storage through the SQL Server 2008 support for relational, XML, Filestream, and geo-location-based data

Get your hands on
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/app-dev.aspx

Multiple Insert in SQL Server

One ofthe v ery good feature of SQL Server 2008 is to insert multiple records at one using single INSERT statements.

INSERT INTO dbo.Departments
VALUES (1, 'Human Resources', 'Maryam'),(2, 'Sales', 'Biju'),
(3, 'Finance', 'Gilly'),(4, 'Purchasing', 'Barbera'),
(5, 'Manufacturing', 'Screwer');

IntelliSense in SQL Server 2008

Microsoft has finally released a SQL Server product that includes IntelliSense for writing TSQL statements. In this article, Tim Chapman shows the ins and outs of using IntelliSense in SQL Server 2008.

If you are used to working in the Microsoft Development Environment, you've likely grown accustomed to using IntelliSense, a feature which reads internal metadata and provides a list of available objects and properties while you are developing.

However, this feature has yet to be available to the TSQL language inside the SQL Server Management Studio. I am happy, though, to say that SQL Server 2008 finally includes TSQL IntelliSense, which provides a listing of available objects to use in SELECT statements, DML statements, and stored procedure calls, along with numerous other operations.

Check out the below link
http://www.zdnetasia.com/techguide/storage/0,39045058,62047009,00.htm

C# Syntax in SQL Server 2008

One Major advantage with Microsoft is, it always tries make life easier. See if you are C# developer and want to join SQL team then its pretty easy.

SET @i += 5

Look at the above code, it's C# syntax on incremeting the variables.

Its kool.....

In-line Variable assignment in SQL Server 2008

In SQL Server 2008, there is one feature called In-line variable assignment. Before i get into the details lets lets look at the below code.


>>>In SQL Server 2005
DECLARE @MyEmpNumber INT
SET @MyEmpNumber = 24
SELECT @MyEmpNumber AS EmpNumber
GO
>>>In SQL Server 2008
DECLARE @MyEmpNumber INT = 24
SELECT @MyEmpNumber AS EmpNumber
GO

In 2005 we can't assign the value at the variable declaration, where in 2008 you can do. This will reduce lot of code in T-SQL.

Njoy with this new feature.

XML Features in SQL Server 2008

Microsoft introduced XML-related capabilities in Microsoft SQL Server 2000 with the FOR XML and OPENXML Transact-SQL keywords, which enabled developers to write Transact-SQL code to retrieve a query result as a stream of XML and to shred an XML document into a rowset. SQL Server 2005 extended these XML capabilities significantly with the introduction of a native xml data type that supports XSD schema validation, XQuery-based operations, and XML indexing. SQL Server 2008 builds on the XML capabilities of previous releases and provides enhancements to meet the challenges that customers have faced when storing and manipulating XML data in the database.

Check out the below link for more information
http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/c/d/acd8e043-d69b-4f09-bc9e-4168b65aaa71/WhatsNewSQL2008XML.doc

Large Objects in SQL Server

A very common issue for database developers in the past was how to store and utilize large binary objects such as documents and media files. The method typically used was to store the files outside of the database and just store a pointer in the database to the external file. With this method, however, when you move the file, you must also remember to update the pointer.

SQL Server 2008 handles this issue with the new FILESTREAM data type. With this data type, files can still be stored outside of the database, but the data is considered part of the database for transactional consistency. This allows for the use of common file operations while still maintaining the performance and security benefits of the database.