SQL Server 2008 R2 has been released

Today, Microsoft released SQL Server 2008 R2 to manufacturing!

SQL Server 2008 R2 will be available to customers in early May through Microsoft’s distribution and partner channels.

To celebrate the release, Microsoft, in collaboration with the Professional Association for SQL Server, will host more than 85 live launch events worldwide. For customers and partners who cannot attend a live event, Microsoft is offering a SQL Server 2008 R2 Digital Tour online at http://www.sqlserverlaunch.com.

Key enhancements in this release include the following:

• Managed self-service business intelligence (BI) for reporting and analysis
• Enterprise-class scalability and greater IT efficiency
• Platform integration spanning the datacenter to the cloud
  

A full comparison of the different editions of SQL Server 2008 R2 can be found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/editions-compare.aspx