SQL SERVER – SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Training Kit

Note:   Download SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Training Kit by Microsoft

SQL Server 2008 R2 offers an impressive array of capabilities for developers that build upon key innovations introduced in SQL Server 2008. The SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Training Kit is ideal for developers who want to understand how to take advantage of the key improvements introduced in SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 in their applications, as well as for developers who are new to SQL Server. The training kit is brought to you by Microsoft Developer and Platform Evangelism.

Download SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Training Kit

Abstract courtesy : Microsoft

What Still Holds Up from the Developers Training Kit

Old training kits age fast, but the SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 features covered in this one are still part of every version today. If you are newer to SQL Server, these are worth learning well:

• The MERGE statement for insert, update and delete in one statement. Test it carefully and keep your join condition tight.
• Table-valued parameters for sending a set of rows to a stored procedure in one call instead of looping row by row.
• DATE, TIME, DATETIME2 and DATETIMEOFFSET for storing exactly the precision you need.
• Spatial types geometry and geography for location data.
• FILESTREAM for large files that you want managed along with the database.
• Change Data Capture and Change Tracking for finding which rows changed since your last load.
• Sparse columns for tables with many columns that are mostly NULL.

Pick the ones that match your work first.

My advice is simple. Do not install SQL Server 2008 R2 to practice, since it is long out of support. Install a current Developer edition, which is free for development and testing, and work through the same ideas there. Most of the T-SQL from these labs runs the same way, and you get newer features on top.

When you learn a feature, write one small example for your own project right away. A lab you finish and forget teaches far less than a script you actually use at work. That habit has taught me more than any slide deck ever did.

Published by Pinal Dave on SQLAuthority. More of my work at pinaldave.com.