Microsoft releases third CTP of SQL Server ‘Denali’

In line with expectations, Microsoft today released the third community test preview of the forthcoming ‘Denali’ edition of its SQL Server product.

You can find the download in both 32 and 64 bit versions here. The software is available in eleven languages.

The first CTP of Denali was released in late 2010, and Microsoft promised that this third CTP would be available during the current season. While it is unknown at this time exactly what Microsoft has baked into the latest community technology preview build, Microsoft claims that the final product will deliver a “highly available and scalable platform” that will “lower TCO” and boost “ease of use.”

The company also claims that it will “help developers build innovative applications with reduced time-to-market” and supply “new managed self-service experiences for end users and holistic data integration and management tools.” Marketing drivel aside, TNWmicrosoft feels that the following two features are what might make Denali favored in the market, as reported by ZDnet: SQL Server AlwaysOn, and Project codename “Apollo” which is set to boost query performance.

As it currently stands there has been no released ship date for the final version of Denali, but it could be that the product will be released in late 2011, or early 2012, if reports are to believed.

Also present in Denali are a number of deprecated features, elements from previous editions that will no longer be supported by the product. You can find that list here.