Microsoft's SQL Server 2012 recently entered the Release Candidate stage of development, the last step before becoming publicly available. This will the first major release of the database software since April 2010, when SQL Server 2008 R2 was released. While the software giant has yet to announce a release date, it is expected that it will be revealed by or at the product launch even on March 7.

One new feature that is highly anticipated in the release, according to a recent CRN report, is integration between the new version and Microsoft SharePoint 2010. That will more effectively combine database back-end tools with content management and workflow capabilities, according to the news source. Users are also excited about the new options for a "single business intelligence semantic model," which will increase BI solution choices.

It will be important for database administrators to seek training for this new edition of SQL Server. New and innovative features can sometimes be hard to grasp, and additional training courses can help professionals quickly adapt and take advantage of the cutting edge programs.