SQL Server 2012 RC0 Available for Download

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Release Candidate (RC0) is now available for Download.

There are many highlights and stunning BI features available in SQL Server 2012.
If you evaluated the previous release SQL Server 2012 Community Technology Preview 3 (CTP3), then you might aware that “PowerPivot” now supports the features like,

• Hierarchies
• Multiple relationships between tables
• A measure grid to easily create, edits, and manages measures
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• New DAX functions (Time series, distinct count to name a few)
• Importing of binary large objects (BLOB)
• Etc.,

All the above listed features and more… in Analysis Services Database

• Row-level security
• Partitions and Direct Query mode
• Direct access to source system
• Etc.,

Other improvements:

• Upgraded SharePoint Components
• Separated setup and configuration strategy
• Project "Crescent" (now called Power View)
• And more…

Here are the highlights and product overview for SQL Server 2012 Release Candidate from Microsoft:

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 RC0 enables a cloud-ready information platform that will help organizations unlock breakthrough insights across the organization as well as quickly build solutions and extend data across on-premises and public cloud backed by capabilities for mission critical confidence.

SQL Server 2012 RC0 enables a cloud-ready information platform that will help organizations unlock breakthrough insights across the organization as well as quickly build solutions and extend data across on-premises and public cloud backed by capabilities for mission critical confidence:

• Deliver required uptime and data protection with AlwaysOn
• Gain breakthrough & predictable performance with ColumnStore Index
• Help enable security and compliance with new User-defined Roles and Default Schema for Groups
• Enable rapid data discovery for deeper insights across the organization with ColumnStore Index
• Ensure more credible, consistent data with SSIS improvements, a Master Data Services add-in for Excel, and new Data Quality Services
• Optimize IT and developer productivity across server and cloud with Data-tier Application Component (DAC) parity with SQL Azure and SQL Server Data Tools for a unified dev experience across database, BI, and cloud functions

Download (Registration Recommended)
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/registration-suggested.aspx?id=28145
 

Note: Registration takes only a few moments and allows Microsoft to provide you with the latest resources relevant to your interests, including service packs, security notices, and training.

Other References:

• Here is the link to the official SQL Server Team blog, on details of the release, http://blogs.technet.com/b/dataplatforminsider/archive/2011/11/17/sql-server-2012-release-candidate-is-now-available.aspx 
• You can learn about SQL Server 2012 and the latest editions that are coming.  The big news is that Microsoft is releasing a NEW Business Intelligence Edition.  Read More on SQL 2012 Editions here http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/future-editions/sql2012-editions.aspx

SQL: Database Backup Strategies

This topic describes strategies you can use to establish appropriate backup guidelines. 

The strategies are:

1. Full Backup
2. Differential Backup
3. Partial Backup
4. Partial Differential Backup

Full Backup:
A full database backup backs up the whole database. This includes part of the transaction log so that the full database backup can be recovered. Full database backups represent the database at the time the backup finished.

A full database backup contains all the data in the database. For a small database that can be backed up quickly, the best practice is to use just full database backups. However, as a database becomes larger, full backups take more time to finish and require more storage space. Therefore, for a large database, you might want to supplement full database backups with differential backups.

This back up contains all the file-groups (files containing data)

Differential Backup:
A differential database backup records only the data that has changed since the last full database backup. This full backup is called the differential base. Differential database backups are smaller and faster than full database backups. This saves backup time at the cost of increased complexity. For large databases, differential backups can occur at shorter intervals than database backups. This reduces the work-loss exposure.
Differential database backups are especially useful if a subset of a database is modified more frequently than the rest of the database. In these cases, differential database backups enable you back up frequently without the overhead of full database backups.

This backup contains the extents of the database which are changed after the previous full back up. In case if a full back up was taken at 2pm. Then if we try to take a differential back up  at 4 pm it contains all the changes since 2pm. After taking this differential back up, if we try to take another differential back up at 6pm, still it contains all the changes since 2pm.

Partial Backup:
A partial backup resembles a full database backup, but a partial backup does not contain all the file-groups. Instead, a partial backup contains all the data in the primary file-group, every read/write file-group, and any optionally-specified read-only files. Partial backups are useful whenever you want to exclude read-only file-groups. 

A partial backup of a read-only database contains only the primary file-group.

Partial Differential Backup:
A differential partial backup records only the data extents that have changed in the file-groups since the previous partial backup.

If a partial back up (backing up specific file-group B excluding read only file-groups A ) is taken at 2pm. If there are certain changes occurred in the file-group B at 3 pm. Then if we perform the differential partial  back up at 4pm, it gives the only change occurred at 3pm (contains all the changes between 2pm and 3pm)