The fall is my favorite time of year, not just because of the leaves changing colour and certainly not because of the cooler weather. It is conference season! Fall is family time for me because it is when, in pre-pandemic times, I would see my #SQLfamily at one conference or another. Typically, my SQL friends at Pass Summit and my Azure friends at Ignite. Like other family events, it is wrought with excitement, great stories, and delicious food. For me, conferences are a lot like the holidays except instead of turkey and seeing Auntie Joan I get to see friends and talk about how the new announcements will help our companies, clients and ourselves grow.
Even though it’s a new year, it feels like just last week I was attending Ignite 2021. At Ignite, Microsoft announced the private preview of SQL Server 2022. This is an early access program (EAP) for MVPs, RDs and select customers and partners to have a first look at the bits of SQL Server 2022. I have to say it is like opening a present on Christmas morning to have that access! When you get to be my age it is more exciting than material things; the gift of knowledge, tech and experiences like this are better than gold.
Now that we have embarked on the new year, what better way to start that learning journey for 2022 than to look at what will be new in SQL Server 2022. This is the start of a series of blogs that will talk about Microsoft’s new version. A version that has a definite theme. (No new product on the planet can have a launch without a theme.)
Most often, the way I have heard Microsoft refer to it is as the most cloud connected version yet.
This diagram from Bob Ward’s SQL Server 2022 The Hybrid Data Platform presentation demonstrates the extent of the new connections Microsoft has added to SQL Server to make connections and integrations to the cloud faster, easier and more seamless for users and administrators.
Now expand your lens wider and consider Azure Arc-enabled data services and Azure SQL Edge. When you start including all of these opportunities, between on premises and the cloud, it truly is getting easier to find that perfect hybrid scenario where the workload determines the architecture. I look forward to guiding you on this journey where we start looking into what is new and exciting in some of these SQL features. I hope you will join me on this journey where we will take a deep dive into SQL Server 2022 …
