SQL Server 2008 R2 August CTP is Available

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The SQL Server 2008 R2 August CTP is now available for download.  Reporting Services has a number of new features available in this CTP which are being discussed on the Reporting Services team blog.

This is the first release of SQL Server to include portions of the ASP.Net AJAX work we have done for the report viewer.  SQL Server doesn’t ship with a standalone ReportViewer control, so you won’t be able to use it in Visual Studio just yet.  But you can get a preview of the updated UI, some of our usability enhancements, and the more fluid page navigation and report interactivity experience.  The standalone ReportViewer control will be available in Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2.

Some of the new UI features you will see in this release:

  • The buttons to collapse the prompt area and document map have been replaced with splitter bars, similar to the UI we have been using in the report viewer webpart.
  • Multi-value parameters are now resizable!
  • The export drop down is now a drop down menu, taking up less space on the toolbar
  • All page navigation and report interactivity is done with AJAX.  You will no longer need to press the back button repeatedly in the browser to return from a drillthrough report.
  • Report interactivity features such as search and toggle will no longer reposition the report (i.e. adjust the report scroll position unexpectedly).  The viewer will maintain the scroll position of the report to the extent possible.

As always, we want to hear your feedback.