One thing that immediately comes to mind is the Upgrade Advisor. For ISVs planning for compatibility with an upcoming version of SQL Server, the first thing they should do (I use the word should because technology-aware organizations do, upcoming ISVs don't even know such a utility exists) is to run the Upgrade Advisor. Major issues come up right away and per the 80/20 rule, 80% of your issues are now in front of you awaiting resolution within 20% of the time.

Next is the power of connection strings. Quite often I have seen just the basic 5 parameter connection string (Provider, Server, DB, User, Password) being used in ISV products. Connection strings are much more than this, and their power needs to be demonstrated.

Have a great Friday, and a rocking week-end!