After an uncertain start, SQL Server 2005 SP3 is now available. First the uncertainty had to do with the fact that with all the attention focused on SQL Server 2008, Microsoft wouldn’t even officially acknowledge that another service pack for SQL Server 2005 would be forthcoming until last April (which I discussed in Ask for a Service Pack and You Shall Receive), and the company didn’t release a SQL Server 2005 SP3 beta until the end of October. Additional uncertainty was generated by the fact that some of the initial SQL Server 2005 SP3 links posted on the MSDN website were truncated, so clicking them generated errors. However, you can now download SQL Server 2005 SP3 from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ae7387c3-348c-4faa-8ae5-949fdfbe59c4&displaylang=en. Make sure to check the supporting documents listed on that page, such as the ReadMe file and the What’s New documentation.

Even if you read all the supporting documents you might still be confused, especially if you’ve previously applied hotfixes or recent Cumulative Updates (CUs) for SQL Server 2005 SP2 (CU12 or CU11). The most succinct explanation of the relationship between SQL Server 2005 SP3 and the various CUs, including SQL Server 2005 SP3 CU1, which will be released in a week, can be found on Aaron Bertrand’s blog. You can find a list of bugs that have been fixed in SQL Server 2005 SP3 at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=955706.

Are you the SQL Server administrator on call for your company over the holidays?

Go to the SQL Server Magazine home page (www.sqlmag.com) and submit your vote for:

• Yes, and there's bound to be a problem while I'm doing something fun
• Yes, but it's unlikely there will be any problems while I'm out of the office
• Yes, but I was planning to work anyway
• No, there's no need for a DBA to be on call at my organization
• No, but one of my colleagues is

Top 20 SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Edition–Only Features
Not all SQL Server 2008 editions are created equal—check out 20 cool features that are found only in SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Edition.
www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/100527/sql_server_100527.html

More Tidbits on SQLIOSIM
www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/101049/sql_server_101049.html

Interpreting Results from SQLIOSIM
Kevin provides more details (thanks to Bob Dorr) on how to use SQLIOSIM.
www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/101048/101048.html

You got questions? I got answers!
Kevin gives a rundown on several questions he's gotten recently while speaking on SQL Server.
www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/101079/sql_server_101079.html

The Basics of Business Process Automation
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Free Guide: 8 Tips for Advanced Load Balancing
Are you risking poor application performance and an endless stream of application-layer security threats by using an early-generation load balancer? Learn how to get high availability, app performance, and security in a single device! This guide shows you the 8 must-have features you need to meet today's network demands.
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