Earlier this week, Dan Jones, one of the Microsoft employees on the SQL Server team, wrote a blog post asking about testing the next version of SQL Server, Denali. Dan is trying to ensure that there are not surprises from customers because of a bug that wasn’t caught in testing.

I know, I know, how can Microsoft, with billions of dollars being spent on this product miss a bug. It’s easy, coordination is hard, and despite the hundreds, or thousands of machines testing SQL Server, it’s not possible to hit every combination. People stress the software in all kinds of unusual ways, and it’s good to get some testing.

So, if you have some free time at work, and can space some hardware, even a VM, get get the CTP and install it. Upgrade one of your databases, and run a workload. Even a profiler trace and see if things error out. Run the new SSMS tools and report any issues on Connect. As Dan notes, Connect sends bugs right into the Team Foundation Server that the SQL Server developers use.

There’s even a Feedback Challenge, where you can win a prize if you get moving now.

If you’re worried about installing Denali, there’s a nice post from Andrew Fryer on installation.

Filed under: Blog Tagged: sql server, syndicated