SQL Server 2008 R2 top links, blogs and downloads

First blog post in more than 7 months; seems like I was busy with some interesting stuff ;-)

Anyway, here is a list of my personal favourite SQL Server 2008 R2 links and downloads I collected during the last months.

SQL Server 2008 R2 Update for Developers Training Kit
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=fffaad6a-0153-4d41-b289-a3ed1d637c0d

Microsoft Contoso BI Demo Dataset for Retail Industry
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=868662DC-187A-4A85-B611-B7DF7DC909FC&displaylang=en>

Report Builder 3.0 Geo Spatial ESRI Shape Files

• http://www.cdc.gov/EPIINFO/europe.htm
• http://www.diva-gis.org/gdata
• http://download.geofabrik.de/osm/europe/
• http://www.vdstech.com/map_data.htm
  

PowerPivot

• http://www.powerpivot.com/
• http://www.powerpivotpro.com/
• http://www.powerpivot-info.com/
• http://www.powerpivotblog.nl/
• http://powerpivotgeek.com/
• http://powerpivottwins.com/
• http://powerpivotfaq.com/
  

Introduction to DAX
http://powerpivotfaq.com/PowerPivot%20Samples/Forms/AllItems.aspx

PowerPivot Add-in for Excel (RTM version) http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=e081c894-e4ab-42df-8c87-4b99c1f3c49b

PowerPivot and DAX Samples from MS
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=eac83429-c6e5-48a6-87cf-00a4141e5441

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=1ae63bfb-c303-44e3-ae44-7413d499495d

Free ebook: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 http://bit.ly/99ZkEf

Video's

• Oma spreekt over Managed Self Serviced BI
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ahYdU6Tk5w
• Livemeeting Frederik Vandeputte - What's new in SQL Server 2008 R2
  http://edge.technet.com/Media/Whats-new-in-SQL-Server-2008-R2/

SQL 2008 R2 Evaluation Download
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/R2Downloads.aspx

BI Demo VPC 9.2 (MS Partners only)
https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40022459