Subscribers to Microsoft's TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) services now have access to four editions of Microsoft's newest relational database management system. Products currently available for download on those subscriber portals include the Standard, Enterprise, Developer and Workgroup editions.
The releases are in English only, according to a Microsoft blog. They can be obtained in either 32-bit or 64-bit editions.
Trial editions of SQL Server 2008 R2 are also available through the Microsoft Evaluation Centers for TechNet (here) and MSDN (here).
Microsoft is planning a global release of SQL Server 2008 R2 on May 13, but not all editions will be released then. For instance, The Parallel Data Warehouse version, formerly code-named "Madison," won't be part of the May release. Microsoft plans to release more details about that product sometime this summer.
The Datacenter edition of SQL Server 2008 R2 is scheduled for release sometime this month, although it wasn't listed on TechNet or MSDN sites as of Monday.
Microsoft previously released SQL Server 2008 R2 to manufacturers for imaging late last month. Microsoft is primarily emphasizing the "self-service" business intelligence capabilities of the platform, which enables workers to design custom reports using features like PowerPivot in Excel 2010.
Other improvements in the R2 editions are master data services support, complex event processing (via "StreamInsight"), and application and multiserver management support.
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