On Friday, after Microsoft released the CTP, I talked a little bit about the changes you will see in SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1. Namely: new rowcount-related columns in sys.dm_exec_query_stats; extended functionality of the FORCESEEK query hint; a new FORCESCAN query hint; support for 15,000 partitions (to match new ...

Just as I was about to shut my machine down on a Friday, Microsoft goes and releases something we've been waiting on for a long time: a Community Technology Preview (CTP) for Service Pack 1 is finally available for testing! I want to talk about a couple of things that are included in this update that may be of interest [update: I've added a lot ...