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Delivery and Structure of SQL Server Documentation Have Changed for SQL Server "Denali"

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We want to make information in the SQL Server product content easier to find. We want to make sure that the content is consistent, that there is the right amount of information in all areas, and that it is up-to-date. To do these things, we have changed how the content is delivered and structured for Denali. After you have read about it, please give us feedback about the changes by taking this short survey.

Where can I find the SQL Server product content?

SQL Server product content for Denali is available online at MSDN and TechNet. While it is no longer released with the product, you can easily set up the help viewer to either access the content on MSDN or TechNet, or to download the help collections on your local computer. If you click the Books Online icon in the program group after installing CTP3, dialogs will explain how to configure the help viewer. To install Books Online on a server behind a firewall, you can download the files to a server with Internet access, then copy the files to the server behind the firewall. For more information, see Product Documentation for SQL Server Denali and Add or Remove Help Collections.

In the new help system, the help collections you install are combined into help catalogs. Most of the SQL Server tools, such as SQL Server Management Studio, reference a help catalog specific to SQL Server. The SQL Server documentation is installed into the SQL Server Help catalog when you install it using either the Manage Help Settings Start menu shortcut, or the Manage Help Settings Help menu item in SSMS. The BI Developer Studio, however, references the Visual Studio Help catalog for product documentation.

To make product documentation for SQL Server available to BIDS, go to the BIDS Help menu and select the Manage Help Settings item. This will launch Help Library Manager within the context of the Visual Studio Help catalog. Scroll down to the SQL Server “Denali” section and click Add next to the documentation you want to download. Since the content already exists on your machine, it will not be downloaded a second time. Instead, Help Library Manager will update the Visual Studio Help catalog’s index to include the product documentation for SQL Server. Once the index has been updated, you can close Help Library Manager and the documentation will be available for use.

What changes have we made?

Beginning with SQL Server Denali CTP 3, content that has traditionally been included in Books Online is now published to four separate areas on MSDN and TechNet.

  • The new Books Online focuses on how to get tasks done and includes language reference topics.
  • Tutorials provide scenario-based procedural content.
  • The SQL Server Developer Reference provides detailed developer guides and API references for programmers writing applications and administrators building PowerShell scripts.
  • When available, SQL Server Technical Guidance provides more prescriptive information on how to use the product to implement your solutions, and conceptual and architectural information to help understand solutions.

How has content in Books Online changed for Denali?

When you need to get something done, the new Books Online tells you how. It focuses on features and tasks, and provides reference content:

  • Feature descriptions
  • How-to content
  • Tool descriptions
  • Language reference, including T-SQL and DAX and MDX

We’ve removed and discarded content that is redundant or obsolete—making it easier for you to find what they need. While many changes have been made to the Denali documentation for CTP 3, it is still a work in progress. You may notice inconsistencies between content areas. For example, not all how-to topics show how to perform a task using different methods. Content will continue to change and be enhanced between CTP 3 and the final release.

Where can I find tutorials?

SQL Server tutorials are prescriptive, scenario-based content that enables you to familiarize yourself with SQL Server solutions. SQL Server tutorials are published to MSDN and TechNet separate from BOL and Technical Guidance, giving you up-to-date content.

How about the Developer Reference?

The SQL Server Developer Reference is available online at MSDN and TechNet, and you will be able to download it as a help package and view it using the Help Viewer. Moving the Developer Reference outside of the Books Online should improve discoverability of the content.

What will the Technical Guidance provide?

When you want to get the full story on SQL Server, you can get it in the SQL Server Technical Guidance.

  • Prescriptive guidance about solutions
  • End-to-end scenarios, including real-world examples
  • Best practices
  • More detailed conceptual information
  • Role-focused information about setup, deployment, administration and management, security, troubleshooting, and performance.

Technical Guidance will be published to MSDN and TechNet separate from BOL. We will begin releasing Technical Guidance in the Fall of 2011.

And the community?

As usual, SQL Server community sites like the SQL Server Resource Center, the SQL Server Developer Center, the MSDN Forum, and the TechNet wiki are open for business.

What do you think?

This is a big change for the SQL Server product content and work is still in progress. We have made these changes to make sure that you can get the right information when you need it. We want your feedback. Let us know what you think about this change in any of the following ways: