The SQL Server team are doing a great job of making sure developers get access to all the resources they need to take advantage of the great tool being released in the upcoming SQL 2008 R2 release. The Developers Training Kit is now available for download - Get it here: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9710868

It includes a collection of Videos, Presentations, Demos & Hands on Labs so you can start to Ramp Up now & be ready when R2 is officially launched!

There will be updates to this every 2 weeks so keep up to date!

Excerpt from the download page detailing the great content included in this download:

Overview

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.
Overview and Benefits
The training kit offers the following benefits:

  • Learn how to build applications that exploit the unique features and capabilities of SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2.
  • Provides a comprehensive set of videos, presentations, demos and hands-on labs
  • Contains new content for developers who are new to SQL Server.
  • Contains new content for SQL Server 2008 R2.
  • Contains all of the existing content from the SQL Server 2008 Developer Training Kit.
  • Easy to download and install.

Intended Audience
The training kit is designed for the following technical roles:
  • Developers who build applications for the Microsoft platform.
  • Microsoft evangelists, technical specialists and consultants.

Contents
The training kit includes the following content:
  • Videos (8)
    • SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Overview Part I - SQL Server 2008 Review
    • SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Overview Part II - Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2
    • Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight
    • Demo: Real Time Analytics with SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight
    • Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2 Application and Multi-Server Management
    • Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services
    • Introduction To SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight and Complex Event Processing
    • Introducing PowerPivot for Excel 2010 and SharePoint 2010
  • Presentations (8)
    • SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Overview Part I - SQL Server 2008 Review
    • SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Overview Part II - Introducing SQL Server 2008 R2
    • SQL Server 2008 Filestream
    • SQL Server 2008 Spatial
    • SQL Server 2008 T-SQL
    • SQL Server 2008 Date and Time Types
    • SQL SErver 2008 SQLCLR
    • SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
  • Demos (13)
    • AdventureWorks Racing All-Up SQL Server 2008 Demo
    • SQL Server 2008 All-Up Spatial Demo
    • SQL Server 2008 Spatial Types Demo
    • Intro to SQL Server 2008 Filestream Demo
    • SQL Server 2008 SQL CLR Nullable Types Demo
    • Programming with SQL Server 2008 Filestream Demo
    • SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services Web Application Integration Demo
    • Date and Time Support in SQL Server 2008 Demo
    • SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Table-Valued Parameters Demo
    • SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Row Constructors Demo
    • SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Grouping Sets Demo
    • SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Merge Demo
  • Hands-on Labs (8)
    • How to build your first Web Application with SQL Server and ASP.NET
    • Using SQL Server 2008 Spatial Data in TSQL
    • Using SQL Server 2008 Spatial Data in Managed Code
    • Using SQL CLR in SQL Server 2008
    • PowerPivot in SQL Server 2008 R2
    • Using the New Features of Reporting Services 2008 R2
    • Introduction To SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight and Complex Event Processing
    • Data-tier Applications in SQL Server 2008 R2 and Visual Studio 2010