Article
12/31/2014

Recent Releases and Announcements

· SQL Server 2014 CU5

o https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3011055

· SQL Release Services Blog

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlreleaseservices/

· Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for December 2014

o There is a critical IE, Office, and Windows update for this month:

o https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/ms14-dec

· New Microsoft Intune capabilities

o https://blogs.technet.com/b/mackblog/archive/2014/12/02/new-microsoft-intune-capabilities.aspx

· Security Compliance Manager Baselines for Windows 8.1 and Server 2012 R2

o https://blogs.technet.com/b/omers/archive/2014/12/23/security-compliance-manager-baselines-for-windows-8-1-and-server-2012-r2.aspx

· We are excited to announce the preview of the Microsoft Azure Premium Storage Disks.

o With the introduction of new Premium Storage, Microsoft Azure now offers two types of durable storage: Premium Storage and Standard Storage. Premium Storage stores data on the latest technology Solid State Drives (SSDs) whereas Standard Storage stores data on Hard Disk Drives (HDDs).

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsazurestorage/archive/2014/12/11/introducing-premium-storage-high-performance-storage-for-azure-virtual-machine-workloads.aspx

· Pricing and licensing changes coming for Team Foundation Server and Visual Studio Online

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/bharry/archive/2014/12/10/more-pricing-and-licensing-changes-coming.aspx?amp&amp&amp

· Now Available: Updated SQL Server PHP and JDBC Drivers

o https://blogs.technet.com/b/dataplatforminsider/archive/2014/12/15/now-available-updated-sql-server-php-and-jdbc-drivers.aspx

· New Azure Solution Accelerator – Hybrid Cloud

o https://blogs.technet.com/b/uspartner_ts2team/archive/2014/12/11/new-azure-solution-accelerator-hybrid-cloud.aspx

· Cloud + Enterprise Release Announcements for December 11, 2014

o https://blogs.technet.com/b/stbnewsbytes/archive/2014/12/11/cloud-enterprise-release-announcements-for-december-11-2014.aspx

· Microsoft Strengthens Data Platform with SQL Database and Big Data Appliance Updates, Adds New Java SDK for its NoSQL Service

o https://blogs.technet.com/b/dataplatforminsider/archive/2014/12/11/microsoft-strengthens-data-platform-with-sql-database-and-big-data-appliance-updates-adds-new-java-sdk-for-its-nosql-service.aspx

· December 2014 Office Update Release

o https://blogs.technet.com/b/office_sustained_engineering/archive/2014/12/10/december-2014-office-update-release.aspx

· Azure Data Factory Now Integrates with Azure ML

o https://blogs.technet.com/b/machinelearning/archive/2014/12/17/azure-data-factory-now-integrates-with-azure-ml.aspx

· Windows December 2014 Hotfixes

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/winsdk/archive/2014/12/10/hotfix-list-for-december-2015.aspx

· Pichit.me and Office 365 come together to make a hit

o Through the power of Azure and Office 365 and direct integration into Office via the O365 APIs, PowerPoint users can acquire and place imagery from Pichit.me, without ever leaving an application.

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/stevengu/archive/2014/12/09/pichit-me-and-office-365-come-together-to-make-a-hit.aspx

· Announcing New Excel 2013 BI Stability and Usability Improvements

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/powerbi/archive/2014/12/16/announcing-new-excel-2013-bi-stability-and-usability-improvements.aspx

· Excel Power Map December Update

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/powerbi/archive/2014/12/09/excel-power-map-december-update.aspx

· We’re happy to announce that .NET Core will be open source, including the runtime as well as the framework libraries.

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/dotnet/archive/2014/11/12/net-core-is-open-source.aspx

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/dotnet/archive/2014/12/04/introducing-net-core.aspx

· Entity Framework 6.1.2 RTM Available

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/adonet/archive/2014/12/22/ef6-1-2-rtm-available.aspx

· Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) DB2 is now available.

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/ssma/archive/2014/12/30/latest-update-microsoft-sql-server-migration-assistant-ssma-db2-is-now-available.aspx

· Windows 10 Insider + Premier Support for Developers: A winning combination to get your app ready for Windows 10

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/premier_developer/archive/2014/12/17/windows-10-insider-premier-support-for-developers-a-winning-combination-to-get-your-app-ready-for-windows-10.aspx

· Try out the New Power BI Preview

o We are introducing a number of new Power BI features available for preview including dashboards, new visualizations, support for popular software-as-a-service applications, a native iPad app and live “hybrid” connectivity to on-premise SQL Server Analysis Services tabular models.

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/powerbi/archive/2014/12/18/new-power-bi-features-available-for-preview.aspx

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/user_ed/archive/2014/12/18/try-out-the-new-power-bi-preview-clap-clap-today.aspx

o https://blogs.technet.com/b/sqlman/archive/2014/12/19/powerbi-update-preview-available-now.aspx

· Want to make sure the data on your PC or laptop is backed up regularly? Microsoft just announced the ability to protect Windows client devices with Azure Backup

o https://blogs.technet.com/b/mackblog/archive/2014/12/22/azure-backup-announcing-support-for-windows-client-operating-system.aspx

· SQL Server 2014 Management Studio - updated support for the latest Azure SQL Database Update V12 (preview)

o We are excited to announce enhanced SQL Server 2014 Management Studio (SSMS) support for Azure SQL database including the latest Azure SQL Database Update V12 (preview).

o We’ve enabled a variety of scenarios to fill some existing gaps in our Azure SQL database experience. These range from added support for the Database Properties dialog and Table Designer to command availability in the Object Explorer, such as the “Open in Management Portal…” command. Additionally, the Import Export and Deploy to Azure wizards have be extended to support the latest Azure SQL Database Update V12 (preview).

o This functionality is being delivered via the SQL Server 2014 CU5 update.

o https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlreleaseservices/archive/2014/12/18/sql-server-2014-management-studio-updated-support-for-the-latest-azure-sql-database-update-v12-preview.aspx

· Recent Whitepapers/E-books/Training:

o Big Data with the Microsoft Analytics Platform System

§ https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/liveevents/big-data-with-the-microsoft-analytics-platform-system?linkId=11164679

o SQL Server 2014 Upgrade Technical Guide now Available

§ https://blogs.technet.com/b/sqlman/archive/2014/12/17/sql-server-2014-upgrade-technical-guide-now-available.aspx

o Free ebook: Microsoft System Center Extending Operations Manager Reporting

§ https://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2014/12/02/free-ebook-microsoft-system-center-extending-operations-manager-reporting.aspx

o Visual Studio Toolbox: SQL Server Data Tools

§ https://blogs.msdn.com/b/robertgreen/archive/2014/12/03/visual-studio-toolbox-sql-server-data-tools.aspx

o Partner Practice Enablement: Azure Technical Training