What’s new in the last SQL Server version?

SQL Server 2022 was released this winter. Microsoft introduced several new features and improvements. The key changes relate to its integration with Azure SQL and scalability, security, and performance enhancement due to the deployment of AI and machine learning techniques.

Here are some of the features introduced in SQL Server:

1. Enhanced Integration with Azure SQL

Good news for users of Microsoft Azure (second-largest provider of the cloud infrastructure services). SQL Server 2022 has introduced improved integration with Azure, making it easier to deploy and manage SQL Server instances in the cloud.

It pays particular attention to the interaction with Microsoft hybrid cloud compared to SQL Server 2019, which focuses on big data clusters and support for Java stored procedures. This database integration ensures high availability and disaster recovery and facilitates migration to the cloud with minimal effort.

Through integration with Azure Purview, SQL Server 2022 allows:

• automatically scan a local server to collect metadata
• classify data using built-in and customizable Microsoft information
• protect classifiers and privacy labels
• configure and control SQL Server access rights

2. Even greater granularity in the delimitation of access rights

SQL Server 2022 has introduced new security features, such as row-level security and dynamic data masking, to help protect sensitive data. These features help administrators enforce more granular security policies and improve data protection.

Also, they implemented explicit UNMASK permissions for dynamic data masking. Vendor added new built-in server-level roles. You can find the list of possible roles and their rights here.

3. Query data from different sources without copying the data

SQL Server 2022 has introduced data virtualization, which allows users to access data from external data sources and query them as if they were part of a single database.

The list of data sources includes Azure Synapse Analytics, Oracle, and Teradata. So, users can query data as if it is stored in a single location without physically moving or copying the data.

4. Faster query performance and enhanced indexing capabilities

If earlier adding Index online and adding a constraint took a long time and transferring data affected the performance, today, this problem is solved.
Several features have been added, including Resumable Online Index Rebuilds, Accelerated Database Recovery, Memory-Optimized TempDB Metadata, Intelligent Query Processing, and Graph-Based Enhancements.

Both Intelligent Query Processing and Intelligent Join Detection use AI and machine learning techniques to optimize query performance, improve the accuracy of query plans, detect and optimize join operations in queries. This can result in faster query execution times and more efficient use of system resources.

These features aim to make SQL Server 2022 more scalable, secure, and performant while improving its integration with other technologies and cloud services.