SQL Server 2022 – An Introduction

SQL Server 2022 – An Introduction

(Azure-enabled, with continued performance & security innovation)

SQL Server 2022 public review is available now and it is having more features related with Azure. It is the part of the Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform, which unifies operational databases, analytics and data governance.

Top Features:

1. Azure Synapse link for SQL
2. Link feature for Azure SQL Managed Instance
3. Intelligent Query Processing enhancement
4. Query Store
5. Security Enhancements
6. Contained Availability Groups
7. Data lake virtualization and object storage

Azure Synapse Link for SQL

This feature provides near real time analytics, hybrid transactional and analytical processing with minimal impact on operational systems.

Nowadays, there is less requirement of ETL and ELT pipelines due to cost and time consumption and instead of that Microsoft has launched this Synapse Link which can help us in replicating the data from SQL based operational stores to Azure Synapse Analytics.

Link feature for Azure SQL Managed Instance

          Link feature is a new option to connect the Azure SQL Managed Instance with SQL Server hosted anywhere. Here, with an approach that uses near real time data replication to Azure using Always On technology, you can offload workloads to read only secondary on Azure to take advantage of a fully managed database platform, performance and scale. The link can be used as long as we need it and get all the modern benefits of Azure today without migrating to the cloud.

Intelligent Query Processing enhancement

          There is a big enhancement with query processing e.g., Parameter Sensitive Plan. Here, parameter sensitive plan optimization automatically enables multiple active cached plans for a single parameterized statement. Cached execution plans accommodate largely different data sizes based on the customer provided runtime parameter value.

Query Store

          Query store feature was first introduced in SQL Server 2016 and provides the ability for DBA to gain insights on query plan. Now , in SQL Server 2022, it is enabled by default for all newly created SQL Server databases to help customer better track performance history, troubleshoot query plan related issues and enable new query processor capabilities.

Security Enhancements

          There are several improvements which have been implemented in SQL Server 2022 to provide strong security to the products to save customer data. So, SQL Server 2022 include Azure Active Directory authentication, support for richer queries in Always Encrypted, backing up and restoring certificates using the PFX format etc. In addition, there is an improvement with tempdb contention which is completely addressed, and system page latch concurrency has been added to eliminate GAM and SGAM.

Contained Availability Group

          There is a new option contained which consists system databases (Master & MSDB) at the availability group introduced. The feature supports managing objects (users, logins, permissions, agent jobs etc.) at the availability group level and helps us in replicating it within the database replicas.

Data lake virtualization & object storage

          SQL Server 2022 introduces new object storage integration to the data platform, enabling you to integrate SQL Server with S3-compatible object storage, in addition to Azure Storage.

Data Lake virtualization integrates PolyBase with S3-compatible object storage, using the S3 REST API.

Note

SQL Server Evaluation edition is free download and available for 180 days. Please click on this link (https://info.microsoft.com/ww-landing-sql-server-2022.html) to proceed to download.

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