Thats a reall good article and an issue I habitually have to battle. I go through stages of thinking, I should really learn more about <INSERT FEATURE HERE> but struggle to a) find a block of time to researching it and b) finding a suitable "real world" scenario to apply it to.

I know there are lots of walkthroughs and tutorials out there but I get limited satisfaction from following a set of steps in a pre-canned scenario. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking them but I find a more effective learning mechanism in applying the technology to a real problem I have.

Of course, here-in lies the problem and the crux of the editorial. In any single job, you'll be very lucky to have the need to leverage all features of SQL Server even with some creative thinking.

I like the idea of setting aside a couple of hours per week to "test drive" a feature of SQL Server and its something this post re-enforces. Even if you're not getting down and dirty with the feature I think there is value in "kicking the tyres" of something.

Time to block out 2 hours in the calendar...