Harness the Powerful New Features of SQL Server 2008   Whether you're a database administrator or application developer, this in-depth guide is your key to delivering improved data collection, storage, reporting, and security with SQL Server 2008. Mastering SQL Server 2008 brings you up to speed on architecture, installation, and configuration essentials, before moving to the step-by-step instruction you need for more advanced topics such as procedural programming, query optimization, how to use spatial data, SQL Server in the .NET world, and more.   You'll master the extensive toolset, explore useful third-party tools, and most importantly, find out how to choose and use the right SQL Server features for the specific tasks you have.   Coverage includes: * Installing and configuring SQL Server 2008 * Understanding SQL Server's place within the Microsoft architecture * Making data reliably and efficiently available to your consumers * Securing your data with SQL Server 2008's new Transparent Data Encryption feature * Integrating XML technology into SQL Server * Creating index architectures for maximum benefit and minimum cost * Exploring new geometry and geography data types for today's businesses * Maximizing data warehousing and business intelligence tools