• Project code-named “Hekaton” “Hekaton” provides in-memory OLTP capabilities built into core SQL Server database to significantly improve the performance of your database application. “Hekaton” is installed with the SQL Server 2014 Engine without requiring any additional actions and allows in-memory performance benefits without rewriting your database application. You can also increase performance of existing SQL Server applications without having to refresh your hardware. “Hekaton” is easy to deploy and allows you to access the other rich features in SQL Server, while taking advantage of in-memory performance.
• xVelocity ColumnStore: xVelocity ColumnStore provides in-memory capabilities for data warehousing workloads that result in dramatic improvement for query performance, load speed, and scan rate, while significantly reducing resource utilization (i.e., I/O, disk and memory footprint). The new ColumnStore complements the existing xVelocity ColumnStore Index, providing higher compression, richer query support and updateability of the ColumnStore giving you the even faster load speed, query performance, concurrency, and even lower price per terabyte.
• Extending Memory to SSDs: Seamlessly and transparently integrates solid-state storage into SQL Server by using SSDs as an extension to the database buffer pool, allowing more in-memory processing and reducing disk IO.
• New AlwaysOn features: availability Groups now support up to 8 secondary replicas that remain available for reads at all times, even in the presence of network failures. Failover Cluster Instances now support Windows Cluster Shared Volumes, improving the utilization of shared storage and increasing failover resiliency. Finally, various supportability enhancements make AlwaysOn easier to use.
• Improved Online Database Operations: includes single partition online index rebuild and managing lock priority for table partition switch, greatly increasing enterprise application availability by reducing maintenance downtime impact.

• Greater availability. Deliver the required 9s and data protection with AlwaysOn, delivering added functionality that allows customers to experience even more of the flexibility and value.
• Breakthrough insight. Unlock new insights with rapid data exploration across the organization with Power View, available to customers for the first time.
• Credible, consistent data. Provide a consistent view across heterogeneous data sources with the BI Semantic Model (BISM) a single model for Business Intelligence applications. Make data quality apart of everyday life with the Master Data Services add-in for Excel and new Data Quality Services that is integrated with 3rd party data providers through Windows Azure Marketplace Datamarket. Customers can test this functionality for the first time.
• Productive development experience. Optimize IT and developer productivity across server and cloud with Data-tier Application Component (DAC) parity with Windows Azure SQL Database and SQL Server Data Tools for a unified and modern development experience across database, BI, and cloud functions. Additionally, Express customers can test a new LocalDB version for fast, zero-configuration installation.
• Please review this document if you are having download issues or have questions about the download manager's browser requirements. Available in:
  • 32-bit and 64-bit editions
  • These languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian and Spanish

SQL Server 2012 SP1 is available for download now.

Key enhancements in SQL Server 2012 SP1:

• Operating system upgrade enhancement for AlwaysOn Availability Group deployments.
• SQL Server 2012 SP1 Express Edition now ships the SQL Server Management Studio with functionality that existed with the SQL Server Management Studio from SQL Server premium editions.
• Selective XML Index which will improve querying performance over data stored as XML.
• Business Intelligence highlights (with SQL Server 2012 SP1, Office 2013 and SharePoint 2013 ) are:
  • Excel 2013: Complete and Powerful self-service BI Tool - (1) Navigate models, preview and shape up your data (Quick Explore, Quick Analysis and Flash Fill). (2) Access and mash-up data from any source (Power Pivot). (3) Stunning visualizations and data discovery (Power View). (4) Work with hundreds of millions of rows of data (powered by xVelocity).
  • Discover, assess and audit user-created spreadsheets with SharePoint 2013.
  • Compare spreadsheets, track lineage, conduct interactive diagnostics and create spreadsheet analysis reports with Inquire in Excel 2013.
  • Browser-based sharing and collaboration for self-service BI via SharePoint 2013 and SQL Server 2012 SP1.

For a more detailed list of improvements and fixes please read here.

SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) is an integrated toolset that allows database developers and DBAs to develop, debug and deploy SQL Server and Windows Azure SQL databases. SSDT supports Azure and versions of SQL Server 2005 and later, including SQL Server 2012. SSDT provides a rich database development experience with first class T-SQL language services and Visual Studio integration, as well as declarative, model-based tools that can be used for both online and offline development. SSDT will install within an existing Visual Studio installation or will install a stand-alone shell.

SQL Server Express is a free edition of SQL Server ideal for developing and powering desktop, web and small server applications.

Please review this document if you are having download issues or have questions about the download manager's browser requirements. Available in:

• - 32-bit and 64-bit editions
• - These languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian and Spanish

For a limited time, new customers can sign up for Windows Azure SQL Database and get a 1GB Web Edition Database for 3 months, for no charge...and no commitment. We do ask for your credit card information when you accept this offer, as any additional usage per month will be billed at the standard rate. This is a great way to try SQL Database - and the Windows Azure platform - without the risk.

Enhance SQL Server 2008 R2 with a collection of stand-alone install packages that provide additional value, including the latest versions of redistributable components, add-in providers, and backward-compatibility components for SQL Server 2008 R2.

Power Pivot helps users create compelling self-service BI solutions and collaborate in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and helps IT teams manage BI solutions more efficiently with tools built into SQL Server.

Deliver on BI Through Power Pivot by Using Microsoft Products

Give more people across the organization appropriate access to the information they need, when they need it, with SharePoint Server 2010 and Microsoft Office Professional 2010.

SharePoint Server 2010 integrated with SQL Server 2008 R2 enables people to collaborate on analytical applications by using Power Pivot for Excel 2010. Administrators can manage and monitor access and utilization of these applications from a central location by using the Power Pivot for SharePoint operations dashboard.

With Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 and the Power Pivot for Excel 2010 add-in, people can perform powerful analytics by quickly and securely manipulating millions of rows of data in real time, within a single Microsoft Excel workbook. They can easily share newly created analytical workbooks and collaborate with others by publishing them to SharePoint Server 2010.

Simplify the migration to SQL Server from previous versions with the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, an agentless tool designed to streamline the IT infrastructure planning process through automated discovery and assessment of your installed base of SQL Server instances.

Considering migrating to SQL Server from another data platform? Reduce the effort, cost, and risk of migrating with SQL Server Migration Assistant, a complete suite of tools that automates almost every aspect of the migration process, including assessment, schema and data migration, business logic conversion, and validation.