SQL Server 2019: Intelligence over Data

SQL Server 2019 Updates and Improvements

SQL Server 2019 released last November at Microsoft Ignite with a big message – SQL Server is redefining itself to extend beyond just the data relational space. The database landscape has changed alongside database engine requirements, and SQL Server is evolving along with their client’s data needs.

Polybase is being taken to the next level
Polybase allows you to create a data virtualization layer across multiple different data sources such as Oracle, Teradata, MongoDB, and ODBC data sources. HDFS and Spark are also built in-the-box with SQL Server 2019, which allows SQL Server to store data at the pedabyte scale and process and store unstructured data.

SQL Server 2019 Can Run on Any Platform with Any Language
Beyond Windows, you can run SQL 2019 on Lixux, Red Hat, Susa, Ubuntu, and many more. Different processor architectures are also able to run SQL 2019, such as Azure SQL Database Edge and Raspberry Pi. Finally, SQL 2019 can run on-premise or on public and private clouds. This flexibility allows users to run SQL Server 2019 wherever they find best.

Performance is Critical
SQL Server 2019 utilizes the new persistent memory technology to enhance performance and speed. You’re now able to store your data in persistent memory with absolutely no changes to your application. Intelligent query processing features have also been expanded to enhance query optimization. This means the query optimizer will learn over time, based on the execution of previous queries, how future executions of those queries can be improved – thus boosting application performance. Lastly, TempBD is now located in memory for faster performance in the Temp database.

Advanced Data Classification and In-place Encryption
Data classification capabilities are provided right out the box, and will automatically discover the different types of data you have in your database, classify it, and create rules for the data.

Always Encrypted technology that allows you to separate the encryption from the database and define different database administrator and developer roles has also been expanded. In-place encryption enables computations on plaintext data inside a server-side secure enclave which improves the performance and the reliability of cryptographic operations by avoiding moving data out of the database.

Additional Developer Tools
Azure Data Studio is available, improved and free to download for SQL Server 2019. The notebook experience is one of the most recently expanded Azure Data Studio abilities, which allows your to create a file that contains markdown as well as codecells. Sandance from Microsoft Research is also integrated into SQL 2019, allowing users to do ad hoc data visualization and exploration inside Azure Data Studio.

If your organization is still using SQL 2016 or previous versions, visit our Database Upgrades service page to learn more about the move to SQL 2019.