Visual Studio Live! 2011 Orlando

Level: Intermediate

This full-day workshop will get you up to speed on powerful new features in SQL Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 R2, and (the upcoming) SQL Server 2012. Lenni and Andrew will pull no punches as they rip through the most important SQL Server features for developers in this intensive demo-packed tour.

We’ll start with the many enhancements made to T-SQL. Learn how to use table-valued parameters to marshal entire sets of rows across the network from client to server, and to pass them between your stored procedures and UDFs. Find out about MERGE, a powerful DML statement that combines the capabilities of four (or more) separate operations, and INSERT OVER DML, which enhances your ability to capture change data from the OUTPUT clause of any DML statement. Work with the latest date and time data types, which include support for time zone awareness. Then preview the T-SQL enhancements coming in SQL Server 2012, such as windowing (OVER clause) enhancements, 22 new functions, the THROW statement, server-side paging, the SEQUENCE object, and new metadata discovery techniques.

We’ll then look at the business intelligence capabilities in SQL Server and related technologies, including Analysis Services Tabular mode; PowerPivot, Excel’s BI capabilities and Excel Services; Reporting Services and its self-service Report Parts feature; Power View (formerly project “Crescent”); PerformancePoint Services; and a quick look at Master Data Services, Data Quality Services and StreamInsight. We’ll look at each of these products separately and see how to use them together. We’ll also cover the basics of SQL Server Analysis Services’ conventional MOLAP mode to set the context properly.

Then we’ll examine the “beyond relational” features in SQL Server 2008, and the latest additions coming in SQL Server 2012. These features will get you thinking outside the box with respect to the types of data that can be managed by a relational database system. Learn how to use the new hierarchyid data type to cast a hierarchical structure over any relational table. Dig into FILESTREAM (and SQL Server 2012 FileTable) and learn how you can finally enjoy the native ability to store large binary objects in the file system transparently, and with full transactional capabilities. The geospatial data types enable you to integrate location-intelligence into the database, and we’ll finish up by building several location-aware applications on top of these new data types.

You’ll learn a ton of new SQL Server features in this information-packed day!

You will learn:

• T-SQL enhancements added to SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2012
• The latest BI features in SQL Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2012, including PowerPivot and enhancements to Reporting Services
• Unstructured data storage, including native file streaming, and the hierarchical and geospatial data types
• Preview new capabilities planned for the next version SQL Server (SQL Server 2012)