Interesting gotcha that should be resolved this week if things go as scheduled. According to the information in the SQL 2008
release notes, Visual Studio 2008 SP1 is due sometime this week and
is a requirement for some installations of SQL 2008.
In the interim, do not install the Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Beta, which can cause version conflicts.
When Visual Studio 2008 SP1 is available, here are the guidelines for install order:
If Visual Studio 2008 is not currently installed on your computer, you can install SQL Server 2008. No further action for installing Visual Studio is required.
If Visual Studio 2008 is currently installed on your computer, you cannot install SQL Server 2008 successfully unless you perform one of the following actions:
Install Visual Studio 2008 SP1 before you install SQL Server 2008.
Uninstall Visual Studio 2008, and then install SQL Server 2008. After you install SQL Server 2008, you can install Visual Studio 2008. Then, you can install Visual Studio 2008 SP1.
Only install components of SQL Server 2008 that do not require Visual Studio 2008. Do not select the following features: Management Tools (Basic or Complete), Integration Services, Business Intelligence Development Studio.