SQL Server 2022 is here: Microsoft has released the latest version of its relational database management system (RDBMS). The most important new features are the links to Azure. Among other things, the local instance can now be linked to the one in the cloud and replicated there, which is mainly intended to ensure operation and recovery after failure.
Data insight with the cloud
Additionally, data from SQL Server 2022 can be used directly in Azure Synapse. With the latter, users can, among other things, analyze large amounts of information and relate it to other sources, and with the new link between the cloud and the local database server, this should happen in real time without interruption. The software only transfers data that is new or has changed since the last upload.
In addition, Microsoft is integrating its Purview data monitoring service: customers can automatically and free of charge scan their local installation to extract SQL server metadata. This information can then be classified and labeled appropriately. Last but not least, users should keep an eye on company information marked as confidential through Purview in its database.
Management via Azure Arc
In addition, there’s the connection to Azure Arc, which SQL Server 2022 now configures by default during first setup. Administrators should be able to have a central view of all SQL servers and their status, regardless of their location. Microsoft also wants to give managers advice on how to optimize their databases, which, in addition to system performance and scalability, also includes security settings.
In the future, Microsoft Defender from the cloud will also take care of protecting local installations. The software can now obtain user identities from Azure Active Directory, and support for single sign-on is also new.
By linking to Azure Arc, Microsoft is also introducing a new payment option. It is intended for customers who only use their SQL Server at peak times, virtualize it themselves, or generally prefer flexible billing. With Pay As You Go (PAYG), users only pay per hour used, even with an on-premises system. This works with the standard and enterprise editions, there is no need to deposit a license key.
More power without code changes
But there are also some changes under the hood in SQL Server 2022: among other things, developers want to have improved performance without requiring users to make code changes. There are details about this in the Microsoft Cloud blog announcement.
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