Microsoft updates SQL Server 2008

Microsoft today announced the availability of Service Pack 1 for SQL Server 2008 (SP1).

It is available as a free download for current SQL Server 2008 customers from the server website.

On its TechNet blog, Microsoft said: "With SQL Server SP1, Microsoft has made investments to ease deployment and help make the management of service packs more efficient. SP1 is primarily a roll-up of previous cumulative updates and there are no new features, however [there are] key improvements."

The changes affect include Slipstream, allowing admins to install the SQL server and SP1 in a single instance. It also upgrades service pack uninstall, allowing admins to uninstall the service pack separately from the database release, and Report Builder 2.0 Click Once, which Microsoft said improves the existing SQL Server end-user report authoring application by easing deployment to business users.

The blog stated: "With over three million downloads of SQL Server 2008 since the RTM [release to market] in August, our customers continue to view SQL Server 2008 as a smart IT investment."

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.