Source: SQL Server Magazine

SQL Server 2008 R2 has been released to manufacturing. Microsoft’s Ted Kummert, the senior vice president for the Business Platform Division, and Tom Casey, the general manager for Microsoft Business Intelligence, were excited to point out that this release comes only 20 months after SQL Server 2008 was released. However, SQL Server 2008 R2 won’t be generally available until May 13 (you can download it May 3 if you’re a MSDN or TechNet subscriber). In the meantime, you can download an evaluation version from the SQL Server 2008 R2 launch site.