According to SQL Server 2014 Datasheet (1*) SQL Server 2014 delivers mission critical performance across all workloads with in-memory built-in, faster insights from any data with familiar tools, and a platform for hybrid cloud enabling organizations to easily build, deploy and manage solutions that span on-premises and cloud.
In the subsequent blogs I will demonstrate these features with practical screen casts and I will update this blog by adding links to those blogs so that you could easily navigate around and see a feature of your choice in more detail.
Some of these major changes include:
The new mission critical feature includes (3*)
- Data availability ( includes as Online database operations; Predictable, efficient, and flexible data backups; enhanced integration with Windows Server)
Performance and scale (2*)
- This feature includes as In-memory online transaction processing: Project code-name “Hekaton”; In-memory data warehousing: ColumnStore Index Buffer pool extension, Query-processing enhancements ; Private cloud; Tier-1 partitioning: Scale to 15,000 partitions; Scalable real-world application testing: Distributed Replay Reduced database size and increased performance: Data and backup compression; Proactive troubleshooting and diagnostics: Performance Data Collector and Management Studio ; enhanced integration with Windows Server; IO Resource Governor pool
- Organizational security and compliance ( such as Secure by default: Lowering vulnerability; Built-in tools for enabling compliance: SQL Server audit enhancements; Restricted access to data at the row level: Label security; Controlled access to data in motion: Advanced security; Controlled access to data for administrators: User-Defined Server Roles ; Controlled access to data across business intelligence tools: Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Active Directory)
Platform for Hybrid Cloud (3*)
- Hybrid cloud: Your database virtually anywhere : this includes Traditional bare-metal deployment and Cloud deployment: Public cloud and private cloud
- The Microsoft Public Cloud and SQL Server : this includes SQL Server in a Windows Azure Virtual Machine and Windows Azure SQL Database
- Delivering functionality in common cloud scenarios
– SQL Server in Windows Azure Virtual Machine scenarios this feature includes Move Existing SQL Server Applications; Support Development and Test; Backup On-Prem Databases to the Cloud and Extend On-Prem Applications to Azure Virtual Machine
– Windows Azure SQL Database scenarios includes Develop New Cloud-Designed Applications and Extend On-Prem Applications to Windows Azure SQL Database
– Hybrid scenarios includes Code-far apps: A simple path to an enterprise-class data tier; Apps occasionally connected with SQL Data Sync and SQL Database plus SQL Server in Windows Azure Virtual Machines—in a single app
New business intelligence features Includes (2*)
- Rapid data exploration in Excel this includes (Appealing interactive visualization with Power View in Excel ; Power View support for both tabular and multidimensional models; Project code name “Data Explorer” preview for Excel; Project code name “GeoFlow” preview for Excel and self-service analysis with PowerPivot: Now in Excel )
- Managed self-service BI this includes (Governance and compliance, insight, and oversight for IT ; self-service content creation balanced with IT management; Ease of administration through SharePoint)
- Credible, consistent data includes BI Semantic Model
- Enterprise information management (EIM) includes (Data Quality Services; Master Data Services; SQL Server Integration Services )
- Big Data analytics and data warehousing includes (Massive data warehousing; ext-generation performance with xVelocity in-memory technology; Faster time-to-solution and Microsoft Big Data solution)
Download SQL Server 2014 CTP1 and experience it yourself from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/sql-server-2014.aspx
References
(1*) SQL Server 2014 Datasheet
(2*) SQL Server Faster Insights White Paper
(3*) SQL Server 2014 CTP1 Product Guide