What’s New in SQL Server 2025
Today at Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft announced SQL Server 2025. The biggest new features focus on AI and bringing the latest Azure SQL DB features down to your own servers. Here are the top features:
- Call AI services like ChatGPT directly from T-SQL – using T-SQL commands and sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint
- Vector searches, a native vector data type, and vector indexes with DiskANN – more information in the documentation
- Fabric mirroring – so your data warehouse in Fabric can more easily have a near-real-time copy of your OLTP data sources – similar to how it works in Azure SQL DB
- Regular expression support in T-SQL – to learn more about that, read how it works in Azure
- Optimized locking – like how it works in Azure SQL DB, and you might have noticed a theme here
As you run your dirty finger down your screen, reading my words aloud, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “Wait a minute – this is all stuff that’s currently in preview in Azure SQL DB.” That’s true – there aren’t any surprises here, and I think that’s fine! Microsoft can and should use Azure SQL DB as a testing ground for new things they wanna build into the boxed SQL Server product. Work the kinks out first while it’s all still managed by Microsoft’s own staff before they deploy it down on premises.
You’re gonna laugh at this, but I’m actually excited for the ability to call ChatGPT from T-SQL. I kid you not, I am gonna build support for it into the First Responder Kit! Why not add a parameter for @AskAI = 1 where your metadata is sent up to ChatGPT and ask for advice on particular problems? (You would have to have your OpenAI or Azure account already set up – I’m not paying for your advice myself, hahaha – and it’s up to you to decide whether you want to send that metadata up to the cloud. But if you wanna do it, go for it.)
You can read more on Microsoft’s blog post, Bob Ward’s post on LinkedIn, and Ignite attendees can watch this session tomorrow.
There’s no release date yet, and it’s not even in public preview yet, but you can sign up for the private preview here. Be aware that private previews typically involve a commitment to running the new version in production and having regular calls with Microsoft to talk about how it’s working in your environment.
Update: I had to laugh that 2025 also includes a rename for the feature formerly known as PSPO (pronounced piss-poor.) It’s now named Optional Parameter Plan Optimization, OPPO.
30 Comments. Leave new
OPPO seems to be for the (column = @parameter or @parameter IS NULL) problem, not parameter sensitivity.
Oh my goodness. It’ll be interesting to see how that works out.
I thought that the answer for that was a nail studded cluebat?
I’m old school I guess. I am not a fan of all the AI in all realms of technology being released. Personal opinion only, it’s eroding creative and cognitive thinking. Just type your problems into the AI and get your solution. I’ve a big problem with the current line of Apple commercials touting it in the latest iPhone. They’re tying to promote as this great tool, but all I’m seeing is laziness and the inability to problem solve.
I know, I’m a fuddy duddy. Just need to hang on another decade or so until retirement,
I had never thought about it to the depth you have. However, I see your point, and agree. You made think about years ago, before the “smart” phone. I remembered everyone’s phone number that was either important to me or that I called on a regular basis. Dozens of numbers no problem. With the “smart” phones, I no longer need to worry about…Like I said, I agree.
Agree
I disagree. The people that weren’t creative, still aren’t, their quality level just increased to acceptable. Sure you can push things through AI and get an OK output, but so can everyone. It’s like Google search all over again, anyone can do it, but why is it only the real techies can use it to solve problems?
I disagree, too. I’d elaborate further, but I’m busy right now making wooden shoes to throw into looms.
“rename for the feature formerly known as PSPO (pronounced piss-poor.) It’s now named Optional Parameter Plan Optimization, OPPO.”
I’m disappointed they didn’t call it Parameter Optional Optimization.. sad times!
Or even Parameter Optional Optimization Plan! 🙂
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SQL 2022 AI Edition.
Looking forward to trying sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint with EC2 IMDS so we can stop storing and rotating access keys in a table
Isn’t OPPO the flying bison from Avatar?
I’d like to learn more about the native JSON (JSONB?) support that I’ve seen mentioned.
Yep, I think a lot of folks do. We’ll see what they reveal in 2025.
Should be ready for prime time around the time it goes into extended support
Will this version have filestream support for Linux?
I don’t recommend either of those features individually, let alone together, so I wouldn’t know.
So far I haven’t been able to locate the documentation about vector indexing with DiskANN in Azure SQL DB / SQL 2025, only for Azure Database for Postgres (https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/adforpostgresql/introducing-diskann-vector-index-in-azure-database-for-postgresql/4261192). Should anyone have more info on this topic I would be happy to have a look!
So far I haven’t been able to locate the documentation about vector indexing / DiskANN for Azure SQL DB or SQL 2025, only for Azure Database for Postgres (https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/adforpostgresql/introducing-diskann-vector-index-in-azure-database-for-postgresql/4261192). Should anyone have more information on this topic I would be more than happy to have a look!
I hope they fix the things I hoped would work in SQL 2022, but still don’t (query store on read-replica, TempDB Optimized MetaData, which still crashes servers, full support for CDC on AlwaysON failovers)
Support for regular expression should have been added in SQL Server 2005 together with those other tiny string features and GENERATE_SERIES that they kindly pecked here and there over last 20 years. The list of missing features is still too long. Unlogged tables, table snapshots, thin clones, easy partitioning, table and partition time to live, SELECT * EXCEPT (column list), community-compliant CREATE TABLE AS SELECT, arrays and struct for data locality within tables, IP address data type and functions, a flexible and working CSV,Parquet,ORC,AVRO input/output in T-SQL – to name a few off the top of the list.
Personally I’d be happy if they simply don’t break Ola Hallengren’s SQL Server Maintenance Scripts with the next release.
I agree. I use his maintenance tool extensively everywhere.
Postgresql is the new kinh
Regular regexp vector srarch is already suppored . Partition is much better . TDE is sipportrd from version 18
[…] ending on a bright note: when I look at what’s new in SQL Server 2025, and I feel pretty good. I don’t think there’s anything in there that will go down as a […]
REGEXP …. FINALLY!!! Only a mere twenty-two years after Oracle introduced it at the db-engine level! LOL
RegEx searching/filtering is the only thing i still need a CLR assembly for. It will be beyond great to have it integrated, and be able to remove that assembly, and get all the performance boosts that come from having it “built in” too.
Now the only last thing Oracle will have over Sql Server (imo) is BEFORE triggers, which are INVALUABLE for centrally scrubbing data before it even hits your table.
[…] On top of that, new T-SQL capabilities such as AI_GENERATE_CHUNKS can process and chunk text into embeddings without leaving the database. Developers can also host external AI models using CREATE EXTERNAL MODEL with ONNX support, or call out to AI services (such as Azure OpenAI) directly via the new stored procedure sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint (Brent Ozar). […]