MSDN and TechNet subscribers will be able to get their hands on a preview of Microsoft's SQL Server 2008 R2 from next week.
The "community technology preview" (CTP) will be available to subscribers from Monday, and made generally available next Wednesday.
The R2 features self service business intelligence, allowing end users to perform actions themselves, freeing up time for IT staff, claimed Microsoft.
Other features in the pre-release version include application and multi-server management, as well as symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) scalability for up to 256 processors and Report Builder 3.0.
Following the preview, Microsoft wants testers to send feedback to the company ahead of the server's official release, expected for next year.
The company also confirmed that this would be the first of many CTPs coming up in the next few weeks, including previews of the SQL Azure Database, a limited preview of Project "Gemini" Excel and SharePoint add-ins.
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