Microsoft unveils new betas for SQL Server 2016, Azure Data Lake services

Microsoft unwrapped a smorgasbord of data-related offerings at the Professional Association for SQL Server Summit in Seattle on Wednesday, including the next beta for its flagship database server software and the public beta of its Azure Data Lake Store and Analytics services. 

Version 3 of the SQL Server 2016 Community Technical Preview includes new support for SQL Server R Services, which brings the popular open-source R language into Microsoft's database software. That way, SQL database administrators can build applications for analyzing data, and data scientists can work with data close to where it's being stored.

In addition to that, the technical preview update includes other tweaks to previously released capabilities like SQL Server 2016's Stretch Database feature, which lets companies expand their databases across both on-premises servers and Microsoft's Azure cloud. Interested database administrators will be able to download the update in the coming days. 

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