First Release Candidate of SQL Server 2017 Now Available

Release Candidate 1 (RC1), which is now available for download. This means that development work for the new version of SQL Server is complete along most dimensions needed to bring the industry-leading performance and security of SQL Server to Windows, Linux, and Docker containers.
Read more https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/07/17/first-release-candidate-of-sql-server-2017-now-available/

Tutorial: Data Science with SQL Server R Services

You may have heard that R and the big-data RevoScaleR package have been integrated with with SQL Server 2016 as SQL Server R Services. If you've been wanting to try out R with SQL Server but haven't been sure where to start, a new MSDN tutorial will take you through all the steps of creating a predictive model: from obtaining data for analysis, to building a statistical model, to creating a stored prodedure to make predictions from the model. To work through the tutorial, you'll need a suitable Windows server on which to install the SQL Server 2016 Community Technology Preview, and make sure you have SQL Server R Services installed. You'll also need a separate Windows machine (say a desktop or laptop) where you'll install Revolution R Open and Revolution R Enterprise. Most of the computations will be happening in SQL Server, though, so this "data science client machine" doesn't need to be as powerful.
Read more at http://blog.revolutionanalytics.com/2015/12/sql-rre-tutorial.html

PolyBase Technology, Instance Feature or Common Feature?

PolyBase is a new feature added to the SQL Server 2016. This feature includes PolyBase technology that enables truly integrated querying across Hadoop non-relational data and SQL Server relational data using standard T-SQL statements.

While installing PolyBase, it is listed under the instance feature.

However, when this feature is selected, in the next screen you will get this error screen.

This means this is not a instance feature.

SQL SERVER 2016 Data Sheet

SQL Server 2016 has multiple enhancements such as

Mission Critical Performance
Deeper Insights Across Data
Hyper scale Cloud

Below is the link to the Data sheet.
SQL Server 2016 PDF data Sheet

SQL Server 2016: Live Query Statistics

A database query times out and you don’t know why. The estimated query plan is revealing the problem, so you remove the timeout entirely. An hour later it is still running and you are no closer to getting the actual execution plan. If only there was a way to find out what is actually happening inside the server.

With Live Query Statistics in SQL Server 2016 you can now answer that question. This new feature offers the DBA a live version of the execution plan with annotations detailing which steps are currently being performed.

read more at http://www.infoq.com/news/2015/07/Live-Query-Stats

Using R to Explore Data by Analysis - for SQL Professionals

Integrating R to SQL Server is a major improvements for SQL Server 2016.

https://www.simple-talk.com/sql/reporting-services/using-r-to-explore-data-by-analysis---for-sql-professionals/?utm_source=simpletalk&utm_medium=pubemail&utm_content=rdataanalysis-20150622&utm_campaign=sql&utm_term=simpletalkmain

SQL Server 2016: Dynamic Data Masking

Row-level security is great for all or nothing decisions, but there are times when users need access to a subset of the data. For example, the last four digits of a credit card or social security number. This can be done at the application level, but that leaves room for error. You only need to forget the mask one time to leak sensitive data.

SQL Server 2016 attempts to address this with a feature called Dynamic Data Masking. When a column is created with a mask, it defaults to returning only the data exposed through the mask. There are three types of masks currently available:

Read more at http://www.infoq.com/news/2015/06/SQL-Server-Masking

SQL Server 2016: Row-Level Security

A common criticism for SQL Server’s security model is that it only understands tables and columns. If you want to apply security rules on a row-by-row basis, you have to simulate it using stored procedures or table value functions, and then find a way to make sure there is no way to bypass them. With SQL Server 2016, that is no longer a problem.

Read more at http://www.infoq.com/news/2015/06/SQL-Server-Row-Level-Security

SQL Server 2016: Always Encrypted

SQL Server 2016 seeks to make encryption easier via its new Always Encrypted feature. This feature offers a way to ensure that the database never sees unencrypted values without the need to rewrite the application.

Read more at http://www.infoq.com/news/2015/06/SQL-Server-Always-Encrypted

What is Coming in SQL Server 2016 for Business Intelligence

Over the past few years we did not hear anything from Microsoft about SQL Server on-premises business intelligence enhancements. The extended cricket-chirping silence left us speculating about the future of Reporting Services, Analysis Services and other key technologies that are being used today to power critical decision making solutions. Good news, the waiting and wondering is over. Microsoft recently announced significant SQL Server on-premises upgrades in numerous presentations at both //build and Ignite conferences. Here are a few of my top take-away points from a BI professional perspective.

Read more http://sqlmag.com/blog/what-coming-sql-server-2016-business-intelligence

Microsoft Releases First Public Preview of SQL Server 2016

The first public preview of Microsoft's SQL Server 2016 database is available, and testers can opt for faster, more frequent updates to it.
Microsoft is making available to anyone who wants to kick the tires a first public preview release of its coming SQL Server 2016 on-premises database.


Read more http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-releases-first-public-preview-of-sql-server-2016/

SQL Server 2016 public preview coming this summer

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, announced SQL Server 2016, an intelligent platform for a mobile first, cloud first world.  The next major release of Microsoft’s flagship database and analytics platform provides breakthrough performance for mission critical applications and deeper insights on your data across on-premises and cloud. Top capabilities for the release include: Always Encrypted - a new capability that protects data at rest and in motion, Stretch Database - new technology that lets you dynamically stretch your warm and cold transactional data to Microsoft Azure, enhancements to our industry-leading in-memory technologies for real-time analytics on top of breakthrough transactional performance and new in-database analytics with R integration.

http://blogs.technet.com/b/dataplatforminsider/archive/2015/05/04/sql-server-2016-public-preview-coming-this-summer.aspx

 

Microsoft Launches SQL Server 2014 Preview 2

On Wednesday Microsoft announced the release of SQL Server 2014 Community Technology Preview 2 (CTP2).

SQL Server 2014 was announced a few months ago. It continues much of the technologies of SQL Server 2012, which was shipped about two years ago. However, Microsoft is stressing several new capabilities in SQL Server 2014 CTP2: The use of in-memory online transactional processing (OLTP) technology that formerly went by the code name "Hekaton," and the ability to use SQL Server 2014 with Windows Azure to enable scalability, as was as backup and disaster recovery support.

Microsoft releases SQL Server 2014 CTP2

Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Community Technology Preview 2

Denali CTP3 Now Available

Much anticipated Denali CTP3 is now available for download from Microsoft. This is the third Community Technology Preview of codenamed Denali.

According to Microsoft, SQL Server 2012 codenamed Denali will enable customers to:
“•Deliver required uptime and data protection with AlwaysOn
•Gain breakthrough & predictable performance with Project Apollo
•Help enable security and compliance with new User-defined Roles and Default Schema for Groups
•Enable rapid data discovery for deeper insights across the organization with Project Crescent
•Ensure more credible, consistent data with SSIS improvements, a Master Data Services add-in for Excel, and new Data Quality Services
•Optimize IT and developer productivity across server and cloud with Data-tier Application Component (DAC) parity with SQL Azure and SQL Server Developer Tools code name “Juneau” for a unified dev experience across database, BI, and cloud functions.”

Though there is no official yet, it is believe that this version of SQL Server will be named as 2012 not as 2011 as said some time back. Nice way of postponing the release!

SQL Server 2012 Codenamed Denali CTP3 is available for download here.

Denali Arrives

Microsoft is making available for download on November 9 the first test version of its next-generation SQL Server release, code-named “Denali.”

Denali will be focused on providing users with more high-availability, self-service and BI functionality.

Here’s a list of some of what is on tap to be included in Denali:

•SQL Server AlwaysOn
a new high-availability “solution that will deliver “increased application availability, lower TCO (total cost of ownership) and ease of use, according to the Softies
•Project codename “Apollo”
new column-store database technology aiming to provide greater query performance
•Project codename “Juneau”
a single development environment for developing database, business intelligence (BI) and web solutions
•Project codename “Crescent”
a web-based, data visualization and presentation solution, and follow-on to the PowerPivot technology that is part of SQL Server 2008 R2
•SQL Server Data Quality Services (based on technology from Microsoft’s 2008 Zoomix acquisition)

In addition to making the first Denali CTP available, Microsoft also is making available today a first CTP of the SQL Azure Reporting Services and the SQL Azure Dat Sync Service

Microsoft also launched a first beta today of a new service, codenamed “Atlanta.” Atlanta is a configuration monitoring cloud service that aims to help customers to reduce downtime and improve the performance of Microsoft SQL server deployments. The service monitors the configuration of SQL deployments to help database administrators proactively avoid configuration problems and to resolve identified issues.The target ship date for Atlanta is first half of calendar 2011.

more at here