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Microsoft Releases SQL Server 2008 SP3

A new Feature Pack for SQL Server 2008 is also available starting this week.

• By Kurt Mackie
• 10/07/2011

Microsoft released Service Pack 3 for SQL Server 2008 on Thursday, rolling up cumulative updates and promising fixes based on customer feedback since Service Pack 2 shipped in 2010.

With SP3, the logs in SQL Server Integration Services show "the total number of rows sent in Data Flows," according to the company. Now with the Shrink Database option, users get "enhanced warning messages when creating the maintenance plan." Microsoft also fixed a problem associated with transparent data encryption, making it available even when a certificate is dropped. Query outcomes are improved after the Database Tuning Advisor references the "indexed Spatial Data Type column," according to Microsoft. The company lists all of the issues it fixed in SP3
here .

Microsoft explained in its announcement that the user experience was improved for users upgrading from earlier versions of SQL Server. While that may be the case, developers will want to check out Microsoft's release notes for SP3 before performing the upgrade. For instance, there are elaborate installation instructions for those who installed the prerelease version of SQL Server 2008 or Visual Studio 2008.

SQL Server 2008 SP3 can be downloaded here for 32-bit or 64-bit hardware. The update requires Windows Server 2003 or newer versions to run, or it can be installed on machines running Windows Vista or Windows 7. SP3 will update the following SQL Server 2008 editions: Enterprise, Standard, Evaluation, Developer and Workgroup. Those upgrading to SP3 don't need to have SP2 installed beforehand.

SQL Server 2008 SP3 Express, a free edition of Microsoft's database management system, can be downloaded here.

Microsoft also released a Feature Pack for SQL Server 2008 SP3. The Feature Pack, available here, contains enhancements that can be added via individual installation packages.

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