SQL Server "Katmai", which some folks are already calling "SQL Server 2008" because of its scheduled release date, was officially annonuced yesterday. I've been following things and noticed, a while back, that there are a number of Katmai sessions scheduled at TechEd in Orlando, in June. Now that there is an official announcement, I guess I can blog about these without possibly hurting anyone's feelings. Note that, as with the official announcement, the descriptions are pretty sparse. So you'll have to come and see for yourself...

DAT201 - The Next Release of Microsoft SQL Server: Overview
DAT202 - The Next Release of Microsoft SQL Server: Beyond Relational
DAT303 - The Next Release of Microsoft SQL Server: Data Warehousing Enhancements
DAT204 - The Next Release of Microsoft SQL Server: Manageability Overview

DAT17-TLC - Spatial Support in Microsoft SQL Server
DAT06-TLC - New T-SQL System Types in the Next Release of Microsoft SQL Server
DAT18-TLC - Overview of New T-SQL Programmability Features in the Next Release of Microsoft SQL Server

I'll be doing a one-day workshop on SQL Server 2005 in Amsterdam in June, as a postconference event of Microsoft DevDays. Although I've done quite a few events on SQL Server 2005 before, this one will be quite a bit different from any that I've done before. It deals with best practices.

It's been about 4-5 years since I started teaching and working with early adapters of technologies like SQLCLR, Service Broker, and XML data types. During the "break in" period, people were most interested in how they worked, syntax and semantics. Now that we've had a while to practice, folks are wondering how its working out. Did these revolutionary technologies change the database landscape?

I'll begin the workshop by discussing the impact of items like statement-level recompilation, SQL algebrizer and plan caching changes, plan guides, plan forcing and the like have had on the way people write procedural code. The effect of snapshot isolation on how people approach locking issues. And go from there into the uses and guidelines for features, like Service Broker, that folks normally associate with "SQL Server 2005 change". With some real-life examples. It's a different outlook that will benefit you even if you're not on the bleeding edge. And because some 'next generation' features will be introduced at TechEd the precededing week, I'll answer questions on where I think we go from here.

Also not to be missed: Dino Esposito will be presenting an excellent workshop on Ajax next door.

See you there.

I'll be at TechEd 2007 in Orlando next month doing a breakout session on SQL Server 2005 scaleout technologies, as well as a couple of chalktalks (on eventing and WMI and on Powershell and SMO) in the SQL Server area. Stop by and say hi.

And...if you're thinking of going to a pre-conference talk, Kimberly Tripp and I will be delivering an information-packed day on Leveraging SQL Server Always-On Technologies to Acheive High-Availability and Scalability. I'll be covering internals of some of the many scaleout solutions available with SQL Server 2005. We'll also have some of our much-requesting SQL Server Always-On DVDs. Have a look at Kimberly's blog entry for even more details. See you there.