Manageability

Now, with the following new features, you can easily manage enterprise multi-server environment as well as controlling and looking deeply into the inner working of SQL Server:

*Enforce database configurations by applyingPolicy-Based 

  Management  

*Centralized Administration - Manage multiple servers from a   single location  

*Control and prioritize queries across applications using        

       Resource Governor

Improve diagnosis and troubleshooting withExtended Events *

*Track Changing Data

Performance Analysis and Scalability

Analyzing performance is a simpler task now and with new scalability enhancements, SQL Server performs better:

*Collect performance data into a warehouse and use graphical   reports in SSMS to analyze it thoroughly

*Save space using Data Compression

Better locking mechanism in Partitioning Tables *

*Use Filtered Indexes and prevent inefficient huge indexes

Security

Security in SQL Server is now tighter:

*Audit all actions in your databases without exceptions

*Transparently and easilyencrypt data

*Extensible Key Management - You can now use your own 

  key encryption system

High Availability

New enhancements provide higher availability for your critical data:

Backup Compression is now built into SQL Server *

*More reliableDatabase Mirroring

*Easily set up and configurePeer-to-Peer Replication

Database Design and Development

SQL Server goes now beyond relational data and becomes a data platform for other types and structures of data:

*StoreNon-Relational Data such asSpatial Data, 

  HierarchyID and more

*T-SQL Enhancements : useMERGE statement andDate and

  Time data types as well as other programming improvements

Build flexible and economic tables using Sparse Columns *

*Integrated Full-Text Search brings FT catalogs into the 

  database and out of the file system