Maximized performance
Define hardware resource limits for individual workloads with Resource Governor for predictable performance across multiple database workloads. Accelerate impact analysis and identify issues before they become problems by using Performance Data Collector, SQL Server Profiler, and Database Engine Tuning. Improve performance through table and index partitioning; query parallelism; scalable, shared database deployments; and enhanced read-ahead and scan capabilities.
Streamlined installation
Take advantage of improvements to the service life cycle through the reengineering of the installation, setup, and configuration architecture.
Standardize SQL Server 2008 R2 configuration by separating it from the physical installation. Speed up provisioning and increase business agility by creating a library of VHDs that are ready to be deployed when needed by using Sysprep in SQL Server.
Data protection
Gain the highest data protection to meet strict compliance requirements by using built-in features, such as SQL Server Audit, transparent data encryption, and enterprise key management.
Policy management
Define utilization policies for hundreds of instances from a central control point to ensure maximum optimization across the data center. Proactively define configuration policies and apply them across your SQL Server 2008 R2 environment to ensure enterprisewide compliance without the administrative overhead.
Managed self-service BI
Support the hosting and management of self-service business intelligence (BI) applications through streamlined Reporting Services administration, the PowerPivot Management Dashboard, and the SharePoint Operations Dashboard.
Compression
Reduce storage up to 90 percent with database compression.* Provide performance improvements for large I/O-bound workloads, such as data warehousing. Reduce data storage requirements and time spent performing backups by using Backup Compression. Enable data compression across global applications with support for UCS-2 Unicode compression.
Highest memory and CPU limits
Get more out of your most powerful hardware, with support for maximum operating-system memory limits. Enjoy the highest levels of scalability, with support for more than eight physical processors and up to 256 logical processors. Build and run high-scale, complex event-processing applications with StreamInsight.
Maximum virtualization support
Maximize resource optimization by quickly assessing utilization of SQL Server instances and identifying consolidation candidates through a central control point. Consolidate databases onto fewer physical servers for the biggest return-on-investment, with maximum virtualization capabilities and Hyper-V support.
Live Migration
Move virtual machines between host servers without service interruption by using Live Migration with Hyper-V.
Always-on, high availability
Help ensure high availability, and reduce downtime with online indexing and restore operations and hot-add CPU and memory capabilities. Promote the availability of mission-critical workloads with enhanced support for synchronous and asynchronous database mirroring. Take advantage of seamless failover capabilities in the event of a CPU, memory, or other nonstorage hardware failure. Share disk access between nodes and restart SQL Server on a working node with support for up to 16-node failover clusters.
Compression
Reduce hardware costs, optimize storage, and improve I/O performance by using data and backup compression.
Data warehousing
Improve business efficiency by creating a single, consolidated data warehouse from disparate data sources that can support up to tens of terabytes of data for business analytics and reporting.
Master data management
Maintain a “single version of the truth” with a master data hub that can be accessed by systems across the enterprise by using Master Data Services.
Self-service BI
Perform complex data analyses by using a familiar tool, PowerPivot for Excel, and share results across the organization by using the new PowerPivot for SharePoint tool. Deliver business insights by providing a suite of built-in, self-service BI tools backed by a consistent administration experience. Share reports quickly and seamlessly by publishing directly to a SharePoint Server gallery or by embedding reports directly into SharePoint Server Web Parts.
