SQL Server 2025 redefines what's possible for the enterprise data platform. With developer-first features and seamless integration with analytics and AI models, SQL Server 2025 accelerates AI innovation using the data you already own. Build modern apps with native JSON and REST APIs and harness AI with built-in vector search. Increase application availability with optimized locking and use Fabric mirroring for near real-time analytics. Join us to see why this is the most advanced SQL Server.

Unveil the data platform of the future with SQL Server 2025—guided by one of its key architects . With built-in AI for application development and advanced analytics powered by Microsoft Fabric, SQL Server 2025 empowers you to innovate—securely and confidently. This book shows you how. Author Bob Ward, Principal Architect for the Microsoft Azure Data team, shares exclusive insights drawn from over three decades at Microsoft. Having worked on every version of SQL Server since OS/2 1.1, Ward brings unmatched expertise and practical guidance to help you navigate this transformative release. Ward covers everything from setup and upgrades to advanced features in performance, high availability, and security. He also highlights what makes this the most developer-friendly release in a decade: support for JSON, RegEx, REST APIs, and event streaming. Most critically, Ward explores SQL Server 2025’s advanced, scalable AI integrations, showing you how to build AI-powered applications deeply integrated with the SQL engine—and elevate your analytics to the next level. But innovation doesn’t come at the cost of safety: this release is built on a foundation of enterprise-grade security, helping you adopt AI safely and responsibly. You control which models to use, how they interact with your data, and where they run—from ground to cloud, or integrated with Microsoft Fabric. With built-in features like Row-Level Security (RLS), Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), Dynamic Data Masking, and SQL Server Auditing, your data remains protected at every layer. The AI age is here. Make sure your SQL Server databases are ready—and built for secure, scalable innovation . What You Will Learn [if !supportLists] · [endif]Grasp the fundamentals of AI to leverage AI with your data, using the industry-proven security and scale of SQL Server [if !supportLists] · [endif]Utilize AI models of your choice, services, and frameworks to build new AI applications [if !supportLists] · [endif]Explore new developer features such as JSON, Regular Expressions, REST API, and Change Event Streaming [if !supportLists] · [endif]Discover SQL Server 2025's powerful new engine capabilities to increase application concurrency [if !supportLists] · [endif]Examine new high availability features to enhance uptime and diagnose complex HADR configurations [if !supportLists] · Use new query processing capabilities to extend the performance of your application [if !supportLists] · [endif]Connect SQL Server to Azure with Arc for advanced management and security capabilities [if !supportLists] · [endif]Secure and govern your data using Microsoft Entra [if !supportLists] · [endif]Achieve near-real-time analytics with the unified data platform Microsoft Fabric [if !supportLists] · [endif]Integrate AI capabilities with SQL Server for enterprise AI [if !supportLists] · [endif]Leverage new tools such as SQL Server Management Studio and Copilot experiences to assist your SQL Server journey Who This Book Is For The SQL Server community, including DBAs, architects, and developers eager to stay ahead with the latest advancements in SQL Server 2025, and those interested in the intersection of AI and data, particularly how artificial intelligence (AI) can be seamlessly integrated with SQL Server to unlock deeper insights and smarter solutions

Know how to use the new capabilities and cloud integrations in SQL Server 2022. This book covers the many innovative integrations with the Azure Cloud that make SQL Server 2022 the most cloud-connected edition ever. The book covers cutting-edge features such as the blockchain-based Ledger for creating a tamper-evident record of changes to data over time that you can rely on to be correct and reliable. You'll learn about built-in Query Intelligence capabilities to help you to upgrade with confidence that your applications will perform at least as fast after the upgrade than before. In fact, you'll probably see an increase in performance from the upgrade, with no code changes needed. Also covered are innovations such as contained availability groups and data virtualization with S3 object storage. New cloud integrations covered in this book include Microsoft Azure Purview and the use of Azure SQL for high availability and disaster recovery. The bookcovers Azure Synapse Link with its built-in capabilities to take changes and put them into Synapse automatically. Anyone building their career around SQL Server will want this book for the valuable information it provides on building SQL skills from edge to the cloud. ​ What You Will Learn Know how to use all of the new capabilities and cloud integrations in SQL Server 2022 Connect to Azure for disaster recovery, near real-time analytics, and security Leverage the Ledger to create a tamper-evident record of data changes over time Upgrade from prior releases and achieve faster and more consistent performance with no code changes Access data and storage in different and new formats, such as Parquet and S3, without moving the data and using your existing T-SQL skills Explore new application scenarios using innovations with T-SQL in areassuch as JSON and time series Who This Book Is For SQL Server professionals who want to upgrade their skills to the latest edition of SQL Server; those wishing to take advantage of new integrations with Microsoft Azure Purview (governance), Azure Synapse (analytics), and Azure SQL (HA and DR); and those in need of the increased performance and security offered by Query Intelligence and the new Ledger