Not that I think I'm breaking any news here, but SQL Server 2008 has been officially RTM (released to manufacturing).  So far I've been very pleased working with SQL Server 2008 and am excited to get my RC0 version updated to an official release.

One thing I stumbled across was a warning users to wait for Visual Studio.NET 2008 SP1 to be released BEFORE upgrading to the RTM version of SQL Server 2008.  This blog post cites compatibility problems if you don't have SP1 installed before working with the RTM version of SQL. What I'm not sure about is if this applies to people using beta versions of SQL Server 2008 (RC0), Visual Studio 2008 SP1 and .NET Framework v3.5 SP1 like I am.  This uncertainty made me think that it may be best to wait for the final release of SP1 for VS.NET and the 3.5 Framework.

I then came across a nugget here that said:

well....there's a...ahem...NDA about this topic...but SQL Server 2008 RTM ships with a RTM version of the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 bits...i'll let you connect the dots.

I guess it's time to dig around in the RTM version of SQL 2008 to see if it's there.  I also wonder if it's safe to install over top of my RC0 version of if I should remove RC0 before installing the RTM version.  I guess I'll have to Google more to see what's required.  I'll provide updates as I find answers and get upgraded.

**** Update:

According to the release notes the beta SP1 isn't an acceptable solution.  And since they're saying SP1 will be officially released next week anyways, it makes sense just to wait for that I think.

I recently had to upgrade some Classic ASP code to .NET for some data encryption.  The routines use RC4 encryption and make the result database friendly.  The following class can easily be dropped into your project for use with little effort.  The sample code shows the encryption and decryption methods.  You just provide the message and the key for either instance.  From there you can drop it in your database or do whatever you want!

Sample Usage:

    Protected Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load

        Dim plainText As String = "I'm exposed!"
        Dim passkey As String = "keep me safe"

        Dim safeText As String
        safeText = Common.Encryption.Encrypt(plainText, passkey)

        Response.Write(safeText)

        Dim decrypted As String
        decrypted = Common.Encryption.Decrypt(safeText, passkey)

        Response.Write(decrypted)

    End Sub

 You can view the entire class here.  If you're looking for some quick and easy encryption this will do the trick.