Microsoft launch SQL Server 2005

New features for developers

Common Language Runtime (CLR) Integration
SQL Server 2005 introduces the capability to develop database objects using any Microsoft .NET language.
 
Deep XML Integration
SQL Server 2005 delivers a new XML data type, enabling the storage of XML fragments or documents in SQL Server databases.
 
Transact-SQL Enhancements
New query types and the capability to use error handling in transactions provide developers with more flexibility and control in SQL Server query development.
 
SQL Service Broker
SQL Service Broker provides an innovative distributed asynchronous application framework for new levels of scalability.
 

Source: Microsoft