I installed SQL Server 2005 Beta 2 last night. This morning I noticed something missing.
If the current bits hold true till RTM, then I will have to lament the disappearance of a dear friend.
Everyone called your design a disaster, but I have fond memories of your eccentricities. Your Order Details table taught me how to delimit identifiers with [ and ]. Your "Ten Most Expensive Products" stored procedure taught me SET ROWCOUNT.
A countless number of articles, books, and newsgroup postings contain the query SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEES – a tribute to your ubiquity. Now they will lie in archived ruins like the statue of Ozymandias.
Farewell Northwind!