Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2

SQL Server 2008 R2, like its predecessors, is more than a database engine. It is a collection of components that you can implement either separately or as a group to form a scalable data platform. In broad terms, this data platform consists of two types of components—those that help you manage data and those that help you deliver business intelligence (BI). Accordingly, we have divided this book into two parts to focus on the new capabilities for each of these areas.