Microsoft SQL Server 2025 Version Release with Built-In AI

SQL Server 2025 version is going to be released anytime in the year 2025 with a lot of new features. Microsoft SQL Server releases its new versions with some updates & better reliability. However, this one is going to be way bigger than expected. As we all know Microsoft has acquired ChatGPT, it’s going to integrate it directly with T-SQL. The coming SQL Server version in 2025 will most likely be the best of all.

Microsoft SQL Server 2025 What’s New?

With the new features of SQL Server 2025, real-time analytics capability is also possible due to the integration of Microsoft Fabric into SQL Server. Along with the numerous upgrades, database administrators and developers will also be able to leverage the benefits of various Microsoft services, such as Microsoft Azure Arc and Azure Foundry. Moreover, security, power, support, and availability are going to be upgraded with the new SQL 2025 database engine proving the legacy. Near real-time analytics capability is due to the integration of Microsoft fabrics. In addition to this, Microsoft Azure Arc is also there for hybrid data platform requirements.

When it comes to the deployment in SQL Server 2025 version, this upgrade offers a unique Ground to Cloud to Fabric model. With this advanced deployment model, Microsoft offers a flexible and integrated deployment plan to help organization run their workloads anywhere – seamlessly.

In a nutshell, we can say that this SQL Server 2025 download is a must because of AI, analytics, and development solutions for SQL 2025 users. Moreover, the core functions of SQL involve a powerful database engine, security, support, and availability are there off course.

Built-In AI Features Making SQL Server More Powerful

AI is what everybody’s waiting for in this new updated version of SQL Server. Here, users get the capability of executing vector searches for sure. Moreover, getting the benefits of building RAG patterns colocated with the data within the DB engine is another major feature for users.

To get a glimpse of the AI capabilities in the SQL 2025, check out the below SQL Server 2025 features –

Native Vector Support: To contribute to the data storage & querying for maximum efficiency, this new SQL supports vector data types. With the addition of the Vector Search in the SQL Server latest version 2025, database administrators will be capable of storing, manipulating vector data types, and indexing the vector embeddings in the SQL Server database directly.

Advanced SQL Indexing: Advanced & fast indexing is integrated into the name of DiskANN (High-Performance Vector Index) resulting in search similarity. With the help of DiskANN, the SQL indexing becomes much faster and precise for even large data sets.

Model Integration Features: Working within an AI-enabled environment is going to be normal due to platforms Azure Open AI, Open AI, Ollama, and KServe. This will help with the deployment, management, and further use of AI models directly in the SQL Server.

Hybrid Search & Framework Integration: Users can combine vector-based and traditional searches. Allows integration with Entity Framework Core, LangChain, & Semantic Kernel. This will further help the developers with building smart applications using data of the structured database and AI workflows efficiently. 

Embedding Generation and Text Chunking: The New SQL 2025 version allows the generation of embeddings and chunk text directly within the SQL Server T-SQL commands. This allows the users to effectively handle the unstructured data. With this feature, the content is divided into chunks and further converted to embeddings, entirely with the help of T-SQL commands. 

Also Read: How to Migrate SQL Server 2012 to 2022 Version

Azure And Fabric Integration in SQL Server 2025

When we talk about the upgrades in SQL Server 2025, the major enhancement is the integrations within the SQL Server environment. And by integrations, we don’t just mean AI. With the SQL Server 2025 new features, it is going to be a big deal with the seamless integration of the Azure Arc and Microsoft Fabric, along with a hybrid cloud setup. When we talk about integrations, we don’t just mean AI. It’s a lot more to make this 2025 version of SQL a big deal for all. It involves the seamless integration of Azure Arc and Microsoft Fabric along with a hybrid Cloud setup. 

Azure Arc Integration With SQL Server 2025 Download

To focus more on scalability and flexibility, integration of Azure Arc with MS SQL Server opened new cloud capabilities & let users deploy SQL Server across hybrid environments without any errors. Therefore, users can get the experience of both on-premise SQL Servers and cloud-based servers as a whole.

Additionally, we get various advanced features with this SQL Server 2025 and Azure Arc integration, such as:

• Offers a unified space for you to manage and secure the SQL Server 2025 instances.
• With the help of this integration, users will be able to access all their SQL Server instances and the databases, and further retrieve logs, performance statistics, and analyze them effectively using Azure Monitor. 
• Along with the other enhancements, this upgrade also allows the configuration of automated backups for seamless data protection.

Microsoft Fabric Mirroring

The next big feature of this coming 2025 update is fabric mirroring. It offers near real-time analytics data to users just by creating a replica of SQL Server data to Microsoft One Lake. It makes synchronized maintenance of datasets across various environments smooth.

Here are some of the enhancements we will get with Microsoft Fabric Mirroring:

• With the SQL Server 2025 download, the server is leveraged with advanced CDC (change data capture) abilities to simultaneously replicate transactional changes from the source server to OneLake. 
• Once the SQL data is fully mirrored, it is seamless to run all the analytical and data science queries directly in Fabric. 
• With Microsoft Fabric Mirroring on the server,  database administrators can use the on-premise data gateway for securing a connection for data mirroring behind the firewall.

Hybrid Cloud Management

Hybrid cloud management strategies are supported by the SQL Server database 2025 version which focuses on diverse deployment events including various cloud platforms or on-premise. The hybrid cloud management offers the following benefits to the developers:

• Offers a single pane or dashboard providing a complete view of all the database resources.
• Allows the users to effectively move data between on-premises and cloud environments. 
• Helps the users to have centralized control over who can access the data and other resources in the SQL Server environment.

Introduce Developers to Modern Database Applications

To develop and utilize modern-day applications, users require various tools and interface solutions. We have mentioned the SQL Server 2025 new features below respectively:

• JSON – Availability of JSON type, JSON index, and new JSON T-SQL functions in the server with ease. With the SQL Server 2025 new features, developers can effectively query, transform, and further index the data directly in the SQL Server environment, allowing enhanced integration.
• GraphQL – GraphQL support through Data API Builder (DAB) with utmost accuracy to simplify the complex data fetching with lesser interaction between the client and server, developers will now be able to process data with a GraphQL endpoint.
• T-SQL – Regular expression support in T-SQL and other new T-SQL functions help users quite in depth. The enhancements in the T-SQL queries offer advanced data transformation and pattern matching directly in the SQL queries.
• REST API – The REST API supports the engine with the help of sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint easily. 
• Change Feeds – Change feeds from the transaction log that is utilized by applications in support of the Azure Event Hub and Kafka. With this feature, the downstream systems can effectively react to database changes in near real-time.

Data Integrity and Security Updates

SQL Server 2025 allow users to enable managed identity support for inbound connections as well as outbound tasks like backup to Azure storage, and many more. Moreover, security has always been the standard for Microsoft SQL that users can rely on.

Moreover, for security-related problems, SQL Server Recovery Manager is the best utility for users. It acts as an SQL tool kit to fix all security-related corruption issues and missing or lost data issues better than other available solutions.

Additional SQL Server 2025 New Features to Expect

There are some more features that users might expect from this new version of SQL. However, these are not as evident as the Built-in AI, Azure Arc & Fabrix Integration etc. Let’s have a look at them.

Mission Critical Engine: The all-new 2025 SQL encourages availability for apps with a well-optimized locking feature. It also brings changes in performance, reliability on always-on availability groups failover, etc. 

Hybrid Assisted & Optimized: SQL 2025 is optimized with hybrid & assisted operations with the help of Copilots in SSMS. It is optimized for the latest hardware as of now & can even be deployed anywhere like clouds, Windows, Linux, containers, and Kubernetes, and whatnot.

Pre-requisites & Installation Guide

To install this new version, simply go through the following protocols:

Prerequisites – 

• Review SQL server 2025 release date and system requirements and all other technicalities.
• First, users need to Register for it followed by Download and Install. However, the Evaluation edition will expire right after 180 days.

Installation – 

Step-1. Install SQL Server, & download the Latest Service Package.

Step-2. Run the Windows Update to proceed further.

Step-3. Activate the evaluation version within the first 10 days to avoid auto-shutdown.

The Final Say

Now, we hope users know what they must expect from this coming SQL Server 2025 version. What new features are going to be there and how the Azure Arc and MS Fabric is going to be integrated with AI features? To conclude, this new SQL is an amazing package to experience the next-generation RDBMS.

FAQs

Q-1. Should We Jump to the New SQL Server version or just update the security patches of the current one?
Ans: This totally depends on the requirements of users. In case, users need to upgrade with new features & better synchronization, a new version upgrade is a nice option. However, for security updates, users don’t need to completely move to SQL 2025.

Q-2. Does SQL Server 2025 really integrate AI to the next level?
Ans: Yes, SQL Server 2025 download helps users leverage the true AI capabilities. It makes tasks more efficient and easier than before.

Q-3. Should I migrate from the 2022 to the 2025 version?
Ans: Not necessarily. Users 2022 version also works well. However, users with older versions must upgrade to the latest 2025 version.