Joe Webb Blog

Musing and observations about SQL Server, other technogies, and sometimes just life in general

Try out SQL Server 2008 without downloading the CTP

Had a chance to play with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 yet? If so, you've probably downloaded the most recent Community Technology Preview (CTP). It's not small either. The DVD's can take almost an hour to download at T1 speeds. And the virtual machine version is over 2 gigabytes!

For many, that's not an issue. But for the rest of us, downloads of that magnitude are a bit overwhelming. So what can we do?

Well, three organizations (Dell, MaximumASP, and PASS) have gotten together to create an online, virtualized way for us to test-drive the next version of the RDMS. You can register for free, log in, and create your own user environment to explorer the new features and capabilities of the product. The url is http://www.sqlserverbeta.com/.

Just want to know more about what SQL Server 2008 has in store for us? Here's a link to Books Online.

Cheers!

Joe

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