The next major version of Neo4j, 2.0, is now feature-complete and available as a Release Candidate build. The release includes several key changes to the Cypher syntax, including support for patterns with properties in the MATCH clause, an OPTIONAL MATCH clause to handle optional details, and simplified syntax for MERGE on MATCH and ON CREATE. Additionally, Neo4j 2.0 introduces new features such as get-or-create operations for single nodes or relationships using MERGE, and changes to how Cypher handles null values. However, this release is not compatible with earlier 2.0.0 milestones and requires manual upgrade from previous milestone versions due to incompatible changes made to store files. Users are advised to carefully back up their data before attempting a manual upgrade.