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180-Day Evaluation

Easy to install and free to try, the 180-day evaluation of SQL Server 2008 R2 lets you explore scalability, security, manageability, and developer productivity features at no cost. Choose the evaluation experience most relevant to your needs.

• Intel 64-bit, English (1.47 GB)
• Intel 32-bit, English (1.31 GB)

SQL Server 2008 R2 Express

Start small and seamlessly upgrade as your application requirements grow with SQL Server 2008 R2 Express, a free edition of SQL Server that is ideal for learning and building applications for desktops, servers, and the web.

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International versions also available

SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP2

Microsoft SQL Server Compact is a free embedded database for stand-alone and occasionally connected applications on mobile devices, desktops, and web clients. Enjoy easy application development and management, enterprise security, and data synchronization.

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International versions also available

Get Your SQL Azure Trial Now!

For a limited time, new customers can sign up for SQL Azure and get a 1GB Web Edition Database for 3 months, for no charge...and no commitment. We do ask for your credit card information when you accept this offer, as any additional usage per month will be billed at the standard rate. This is a great way to try SQL Azure - and the Windows Azure platform - without the risk.

• Try SQL Azure

SQL Server code-named "Denali" CTP1

The next generation of SQL Server, SQL Server code-named “Denali” CTP1 provides an opportunity for early adopters to submit feedback on an initial set of features including:

• Select capabilities of the new integrated high availability solution, SQL Server code-named “Denali” AlwaysOn, including availability groups, single active secondary for offloading read-only workloads and multi-site clustering
• Flexible server roles to allow administrators to create custom roles for easy separation of duties
• Simplified development and standardized deployment, configuration and management for SQL Server Integration Services

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Additional Functionality

Enhance SQL Server 2008 R2 with a collection of stand-alone install packages that provide additional value, including the latest versions of redistributable components, add-in providers, and backward-compatibility components for SQL Server 2008 R2.

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180-Day Evaluation

Gain a fully functional, free-to-try, 180-day evaluation of SQL Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-based systems, which lets you explore scalability, security, manageability, and developer productivity features at no cost.

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Analysis at Your Fingertips

PowerPivot helps users create compelling self-service BI solutions and collaborate in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and helps IT teams manage BI solutions more efficiently with tools built into SQL Server 2008 R2.

Learn more

• Download 32-Bit (81.5 MB)
• Download 64-Bit (112 MB)

Powerful self-service BI

SharePoint Server 2010 integrated with SQL Server 2008 R2 enables people to collaborate on analytical applications by using PowerPivot for Excel 2010. Administrators can manage and monitor access and utilization of these applications from a central location by using the PowerPivot for SharePoint operations dashboard.

• Required download: SQL Server 2008 R2
• Register to download

Computational power with Excel

With Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 and the PowerPivot for Excel 2010 add-in, people can perform powerful analytics by quickly and securely manipulating millions of rows of data in real time, within a single Microsoft Excel workbook. They can easily share newly created analytical workbooks and collaborate with others by publishing them to SharePoint Server 2010.

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SQL SERVER 2008 R2 EXPRESS

Simplify the migration to SQL Server 2008 R2 from previous versions with the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, an agentless tool designed to streamline the IT infrastructure planning process through automated discovery and assessment of your installed base of SQL Server instances.

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SQL SERVER 2008 R2 EXPRESS

Considering migrating to SQL Server from another data platform? Reduce the effort, cost, and risk of migrating with SQL Server Migration Assistant, a complete suite of tools that automates almost every aspect of the migration process, including assessment, schema and data migration, business logic conversion, and validation.

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180-Day Evaluation

Gain a fully functional, free-to-try, 180-day evaluation of SQL Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-based systems, which lets you explore scalability, security, manageability, and developer productivity features at no cost.

• Download

Analyze data in near real time

Effectively analyze large amounts of event data streaming in from multiple sources. Derive insights from critical information in near real time by using StreamInsight. Monitor, analyze, and act on data in motion and make informed decisions almost instantaneously.

• Download the 64-bit version.
• Download the 32-bit version.

Install the StreamInsight client

Gain a platform for the continuous and incremental processing of unending sequences of events from multiple sources with near-zero latency. Install the StreamInsight client package, which installs a subset of StreamInsight and lets you implement only the client-side functionality: Connecting to an existing StreamInsight server, managing queries, and using the debugger tool.

• Download the 64-bit version.
• Download the 32-bit version.