Current SQL Server Version for Dev

Welcome, Dev! In this article, we will talk about the current version of SQL Server. SQL Server is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft. It is widely used by businesses and organizations for their data management needs. If you are a developer, database administrator, or IT professional working with SQL Server, it is important to stay updated with the latest version. Let’s jump into the latest version and its features.

Introduction to the Latest Version

The latest version of SQL Server is SQL Server 2019. It was released in November 2019 and comes with many new features and improvements. One of the major improvements is the integration of Big Data technologies like Apache Spark and Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). This integration allows users to process and analyze large amounts of data stored in both relational and non-relational databases.

SQL Server 2019 also includes enhanced security features such as Always Encrypted with secure enclaves, which adds an extra layer of protection to sensitive data. Additionally, it comes with improved performance features like Intelligent Query Processing, which optimizes the performance of queries by adjusting the execution plan based on the data being processed.

Features of SQL Server 2019

Let’s dive deeper into the new features of SQL Server 2019:

Big Data Clusters

SQL Server 2019 supports Big Data Clusters, which is a combination of SQL Server instances, Spark instances, and HDFS storage. It allows users to analyze and process large amounts of data from various sources. Big Data Clusters support Kubernetes, which makes it easier to deploy and manage the clusters.

Intelligent Query Processing

SQL Server 2019 comes with Intelligent Query Processing, which includes several features that optimize the performance of queries. One of them is Batch Mode on Rowstore, which improves the performance of queries on traditional rowstore tables. Other features include Scalar UDF Inlining and Approximate Query Processing.

Enhanced Security Features

SQL Server 2019 includes several enhanced security features like Always Encrypted with secure enclaves, which prevents sensitive data from being accessed by unauthorized users. It also supports Data Discovery and Classification, which helps users to identify and classify sensitive data.

Improved Developer Experience

SQL Server 2019 comes with many improvements that make it easier for developers to work with SQL Server. It includes support for UTF-8 encoding, which allows users to store and retrieve non-English characters. It also includes support for graph data processing, which makes it easier to work with complex data structures.

Other Features

SQL Server 2019 comes with several other features like Enhanced PolyBase, which allows users to query data stored in external sources like Hadoop, Oracle, and Teradata. It also includes support for Containers, which allows users to deploy SQL Server in containers like Docker.

Comparison with Previous Versions

Now that we have discussed the new features of SQL Server 2019, let’s compare it with the previous versions.

SQL Server 2017

SQL Server 2017 was released in October 2017, and it came with many new features like support for graph data processing, automatic database tuning, and Python integration. However, it did not include Big Data Clusters and Intelligent Query Processing, which are the major features of SQL Server 2019.

SQL Server 2016

SQL Server 2016 was released in June 2016, and it came with many new features like support for JSON and enhanced AlwaysOn Availability Groups. However, it did not include support for graph data processing and other features that are available in SQL Server 2017 and 2019.

FAQ

Let’s answer some frequently asked questions about SQL Server 2019:

What are the system requirements for SQL Server 2019?

Component	Requirement
Operating System	Windows Server 2012 or later, or Linux
Processor	64-bit processor with at least 2 cores
Memory	At least 2 GB, but 8 GB or more is recommended
Hard Disk Space	At least 6 GB, but 10 GB or more is recommended

Is SQL Server 2019 available on both Windows and Linux?

Yes, SQL Server 2019 is available on both Windows and Linux.

What are the licensing options for SQL Server 2019?

SQL Server 2019 provides two licensing options: Per Core licensing and Server + CAL licensing.

What are the pricing options for SQL Server 2019?

The pricing for SQL Server 2019 depends on the licensing option and the edition. The Enterprise edition is the most expensive, while the Standard and Developer editions are more affordable. The pricing also depends on the number of cores or the number of CALs required.

How can I download SQL Server 2019?

You can download SQL Server 2019 from the Microsoft website. It is available for both Windows and Linux platforms.

Conclusion

In conclusion, SQL Server 2019 is the latest version of SQL Server, which comes with many new features and improvements. It includes Big Data Clusters, Intelligent Query Processing, Enhanced Security Features, Improved Developer Experience, and more. If you are working with SQL Server, it is important to stay updated with the latest version to take advantage of these new features. We hope this article has helped you to understand the current version of SQL Server and its features.