Since announcing SQL Server 2022 at Ignite in November 2021, the Early Adoption Program (EAP) has received over 2,500 applications to join the Private Preview. The excitement from data professionals, customers, and the SQL Server community for the next major version of SQL Server is loud and clear!
During the SQLBits 2022 keynote, Level Up with Azure Data, Bob Ward announced that SQL Server 2022 Public Preview is coming by the end of the first half of calendar year 2022. With Public Preview just around the corner, applications to join the EAP are now closed.
So, what’s everyone excited about? Based on EAP applications, the Top 10 features that SQL Server professionals want to try (in no specific order) are:
- Near real-time analytics with Azure Synapse Link
- Seamless and managed disaster recovery using the Link feature for Azure SQL Managed Instance
- The next generation of Intelligent Query Processing, including:
- Parameter Sensitive Plan optimization to allow multiple plans in cache for the same stored procedure or parameterized SQL statement.
- DOP and CE model feedback using the Query store to create a feedback cycle to automatically adapt and resolve problems with common query patterns.
- New enhancements to memory grant feedback include persistence and new algorithms to smoothly handle memory grant fluctuations.
- Azure Active Directory Authentication
- New functionality for working with JSON data
- Memory & concurrency scalability improvements that help SQL Server 2022 run even better than previous versions on the same machine
- Query Store Hints to easily shape query plans with no code changes
- Security improvements
- SQL Server Ledger
- T-SQL language enhancements
Of course, there’s much more coming in SQL Server 2022. New capabilities that include built-in Azure enablement and innovations in security, performance, availability, and data virtualization will take SQL Server to the next level. The enthusiasm for SQL Server 2022 so far has been truly overwhelming, and we are looking forward to sharing it with you at Public Preview later this year.
You can learn more about SQL Server 2022 at https://aka.ms/sqlserver2022
