Top 10 SQL 2008 Features for SharePoint IT Pros
This is a SharePoint blog, so let me give you my top 10 reasons why a SharePoint Administrator would want to upgrade their SQL environment at RTM. (I say RTM since the SharePoint team plans to support SQL 2008 at it's RTM release.) I also look at this list and think it's not a bad list for any application that uses SQL for it's database. Look for performance, manageability, and cost savings.
- Backup compression (25-35% at least) - huge cost savings and hey it's native! (note SQL 2005 encryption is not supported by product support but
- Transparent Encryption - transparently encrypt the data without the application needing to be aware or know about it.
- Database Mirroring Enhancements - compressed tlogs, more automatic failover options
- Policy Based Administration - manage policies across databases and even across instances and servers
- Cluster enhancements - easier to configure and more scenarios that it supports including many in WS08 that provide more intelligence for failover
- Resource Governor - limit wild database resources or control one database resources from another!
- Easier to deploy - Easier to install, easier to configure, on and on
- Reporting Services in SharePoint Mode (report builder rocks!) - easy reporting solutions built to leverage SharePoint mode with more flexibility and with ease.
- Data compression - smaller databases with the same amount of data (compression will vary, but watch the overhead on enterprise environments or heavy used environments)
- Powershell integration - super extensible and super scriptable
If you don't know what these things are, you should check out the SQL 2008 site.
