MSDN and TechNet subscribers got first dibs on Monday; the community technology preview (CTP) will be generally available Wednesday, Microsoft said.

SQL Server 2008 R2 will help DBAs manage large-scale deployments and promote self-service BI (business intelligence), wherein end-users generate their own queries and reports with less involvement needed from IT staff, according to Microsoft.

"New wizards enable administrators to quickly set up a multi-server management environment in minutes -- no professional services required," Microsoft promised in an official blog . DBAs will gain a range of for tracking their systems' resource usage and handling upgrades.

Meanwhile, a new version of Report Builder incorporates support for mapping data and "benefits power users that are looking for a more sophisticated authoring environment," the blog adds.

Overall, Microsoft is trying to push BI capabilities -- long the province of only some users due to the software's high cost -- to the masses, by tying them to its widely used SharePoint collaboration platform and venerable Excel spreadsheet.