SQL Server 2022 is a core element of the Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform and now it comes with new features. The platform seamlessly integrates operational databases, analytics, and data governance. This enables customers to adapt in real-time, add layers of intelligence to their applications, unlock fast and predictive insights, and govern their data—wherever it resides.
SQL Server 2022’s connections to Azure, including Azure Synapse Link and Microsoft Purview make it easier for customers to drive deeper insights, predictions, and governance from their data at scale. Azure integration also includes managed disaster recovery (DR) to Azure SQL Managed Instance, along with near real-time analytics, allowing database administrators to manage their data estates with greater flexibility and minimal impact to the end user. Performance and scalability are automatically enhanced via built-in query intelligence. Security innovation, building on SQL Server’s track record as being the least vulnerable database over the last 10 years, continues with Ledger for SQL Server, which uses blockchain to create a tamper-proof track record of time of all changes to the database.
Azure-enabled features
Link feature for Azure SQL Managed Instance: To ensure uptime, SQL Server 2022 is fully integrated with the new link feature in Azure SQL Managed Instance. With this new capability, you benefit from a PaaS environment applied to disaster recovery—allowing you to spend less time on setup and management even when compared to an IaaS environment.
Azure Synapse Link for SQL: Previously, moving data from on-premises databases, like SQL Server, to Synapse required using extract, transform, and load (ETL). Configuring and running an ETL pipeline is time-consuming, and insights often lag what is happening at any moment. Azure Synapse Link for SQL Server 2022 provides automatic change feeds to capture the changes within SQL Server and feed them into Azure Synapse Analytics. Synapse Link provides near real-time analysis and hybrid transactional and analytical processing with minimal impact on operational systems
Microsoft Purview integration: Microsoft Purview is a unified data governance and management service. SQL Server is also integrated with Microsoft Purview for greater data discovery, allowing to break down data silos. Through this integration user will be able to:
- Automatically scan on-premises SQL Server for free to capture metadata.
- Classify data using built-in and custom classifiers and Microsoft Information Protection sensitivity labels.
- Set up and control specific access rights to SQL Server.
Additional Azure-connected features: SQL Server 2022 has several additional Azure-enabled features. A simple connection to the Azure Arc agent, part of the default setup process for SQL Server 2022, enables additional capabilities, including:
- Single view of all SQL Servers deployed on-premises, in Azure and other clouds.
- Fully automated technical assessment for SQL Server at no additional cost, to help optimize database’s performance, scalability, security, business continuity, and more.
- Protect on-premises data using Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
- Secure identities with Single Sign-On and Azure Active Directory.
- Pay-as-you-go billing.
Continued innovation to the core SQL Server engine
Performance: Performance is critical. On the SQL Server Engineering team, our core engine feature principles are: do no harm, no app changes required. With SQL Server 2022, performance enhancements come without requiring code changes by the end user.
Security: Over the past ten years, SQL Server has had few vulnerabilities. Building on this, the new Ledger for SQL Server feature creates a tamper-evidence track record of data modifications over time. This detects tampering by malicious actors and is beneficial for scenarios such as internal and external audits.
Availability: With Contained Availability Groups user can create an Always On availability group that manages its own metadata objects (users, logins, permissions) at the availability group level in addition to the instance level with contained availability groups. Additionally, it keeps multi-write environments running smoothly to have users across multiple locations.
