Again in November 2024, Microsoft introduced the non-public preview of SQL Server 2025, the successor to the favored SQL Server 2022. Focusing on the present trade pattern, SQL Server 2025 will permit builders to construct AI purposes utilizing their knowledge with improved safety, efficiency, and availability. At Construct 2025, Microsoft introduced the general public preview of SQL Server 2025.

SQL Server 2025 now has AI straight built-in into the database engine for improved search. Because of built-in vector search capabilities, builders can carry out semantic searches over their knowledge to search out matches primarily based on similarity, alongside full-text search and filtering. SQL Server 2025 additionally comes with improved AI mannequin administration by way of mannequin definitions constructed into T-SQL to AI companies, together with Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, Ollama, and extra.

Builders can entry these fashions by way of REST APIs, and they’re remoted from the SQL Server engine. SQL Server 2025 additionally helps DiskANN, textual content chunking, embedding era, and integration with AI frameworks like LangChain, Semantic Kernel, and Entity Framework Core.

Other than the AI capabilities, SQL Server 2025 additionally comes with important developer enhancements. This newest launch will supply native JSON assist, permitting builders to simply validate and manipulate their datasets with exterior knowledge sources. Change Occasion Streaming will assist builders devour transaction log modifications as occasions straight from SQL Server to Microsoft Azure Occasion Hubs. Microsoft additionally introduced the general public preview of the brand new open-source Python driver for SQL Server, which is a completely open-source Python resolution for connecting to SQL Server. Microsoft additionally introduced the mixing of the MSSQL Extension for Visible Studio Code with GitHub Copilot for higher code ideas.

SQL Server 2025 comes with a number of enhancements to safety, efficiency, and availability. For instance, the brand new Optimized Locking reduces lock reminiscence consumption and minimizes blocking for concurrent transactions by way of Transaction ID (TID) Locking and Lock After Qualification (LAQ).

Lastly, Microsoft is saying a brand new SQL Server 2025 Normal Developer version along with the present Developer version, which has all Enterprise options. This can permit builders to construct and check in opposition to the Normal version with none licensing charges.