Microsoft released Service Pack 2 (SP2) for SQL Server 2005 on Tuesday, a free upgrade available for download, in addition to new virtualization licensing for the database.

Microsoft began a wide beta testing program of its forthcoming SQL Server 2005 database on Monday, a much anticipated--and delayed--product central to the company's server software line.

Microsoft released Service Pack 2 (SP2) for SQL Server 2005 on Tuesday, a free upgrade available for download, in addition to new virtualization licensing for the database.

As expected, Microsoft made available for download on February 19 the final version of SQL Server 2005, which makes Microsoft's latest database version compatible with Windows Vista.

Click the "Download" button to download the entire Feature Pack, or scroll to the bottom half of the page and locate the "Microsoft SQL Server OLE DB Provider" links.

In addition, Microsoft announced that it is expanding virtualization use rights to allow unlimited virtual instances on servers that are fully licensed for SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition.

Microsoft is bringing improved scalability with the release of its SQL 2008 Server database management platform.

Microsoft signaled the end of support today for its SQL Server 2005 product. The 10-year-old server has fallen out of Microsoft's "extended support" product lifecycle phase.

REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 19, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today released Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 SP2, an update to its award-winning data management and analysis platform. Customers can now take advantage ...