I didn't see Sergey call it an interim release. He said based on the R2 name it didn't seem like Microsoft considers it a revolutionary advance. FWIW that was my reaction as well. You are very tuned in to the BI stuff, understandably so, but is this release really going to be a big deal to most SQL Server developers and administrators?

Mike, you are assuming that "most SQL developers and administrators" don't get involved with BI. This assumption is false. With each passing year, those individuals come in contact with the ever-widening BI space.

Many SQL developers learn that they need to get up to speed with SSIS....or they need to learn MDX to query against OLAP cubes....or they need to learn SSRS integration with MOSS...there are many different scenarios that are playing out. Many companies are now utilizing the data mining features in SSAS, as opposed to outsourcing the work.