Comparison Between Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and 2008

You may refer to these links below for comparison between the two,
MS SQL Server 2008
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143432.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/default.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/express.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/compare-std-ent.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/compare-specialized.aspx
MS SQL Server 2005
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143432(v=SQL.90).aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2005/en/us/compare-features.aspx

What are the key differences between MS SQL Server 2005 and 2008?

• Transparent Data Encryption. The ability to encrypt an entire database.
• Backup Encryption. Executed at backup time to prevent tampering.
• External Key Management. Storing Keys separate from the data.
• Auditing. Monitoring of data access.
• Data Compression. Fact Table size reduction and improved performance.
• Resource Governor. Restrict users or groups from consuming high levels or resources.
• Hot Plug CPU. Add CPUs on the fly.
• Performance Studio. Collection of performance monitoring tools.
• Installation improvements. Disk images and service pack uninstall options.
• Dynamic Development. New ADO and Visual Studio options as well as Dot Net 3.
• Entity Data Services. Line Of Business (LOB) framework and Entity Query Language (eSQL)
• LINQ. Development query language for access multiple types of data such as SQL and XML.
• Data Synchronizing. Development of frequently disconnected applications.
• Large UDT. No size restriction on UDT.
• Dates and Times. New data types: Date, Time, Date Time Offset.
• File Stream. New data type VarBinary(Max) FileStream for managing binary data.
• Table Value Parameters. The ability to pass an entire table to a stored procedure.
• Spatial Data. Data type for storing Latitude, Longitude, and GPS entries.
• Full Text Search. Native Indexes, thesaurus as metadata, and backup ability.
• SQL Server Integration Service. Improved multiprocessor support and faster lookups.
• MERGE. TSQL command combining Insert, Update, and Delete.
• SQL Server Analysis Server. Stack improvements, faster block computations.
• SQL Server Reporting Server. Improved memory management and better rendering.
• Microsoft Office 2007. Use OFFICE as an SSRS template. SSRS to WORD.
• SQL 200 Support Ends. Mainstream Support for SQL 2000 is coming to an end.

Other References:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/198478/advantages-of-ms-sql-server-2008-over-ms-sql-server-2005
http://www.postgresonline.com/journal/archives/51-Cross-Compare-of-SQL-Server,-MySQL,-and-PostgreSQL.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_SQL_Server
http://oracleappstechnology.blogspot.com/2008/06/oracle-11g-vs-microsoft-sql-server-2008.html
http://decipherinfosys.wordpress.com/2008/09/28/differences-between-different-sql-server-2008-editions/