SSMS Copilot – Everything You Must Know

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) has been a reliable and prominent tool while working on SQL Server environments. By the announcement of SSMS Copilot, Microsoft has enhanced the SQL Server Management capabilities. With this release of SQL Server Management Studio and Copilot, the users have been offered a feature to generate, optimize, and understand SQL code more efficiently. Here, with the help of this technical write-up, we will explore this AI integration with SSMS, and also learn the advantages, setbacks of working with AI in your day-to-day SQL operations. 

So, without any further delay, let’s begin by learning a little more about the SSMS v21 and its features.

Launch of SQL Server Management Studio v21

As we all are well aware, the SQL Server Management Studio is a widely used and well-known tool by Microsoft. This tool helps database administrators with the configuration, management, and administration of SQL Server instances. Microsoft launched the SSMS v21 on May 19th, 2025, with enhanced functionalities, upgrading the features of SQL Server Management Studio and improving the experience for developers and database administrators. 

The release of SQL Server Management Studio came along with several advanced technologies and integrations, like SSMS Copilot and other AI-driven features. The version is now more advanced with the growing technologies like cloud technologies and artificial intelligence. The launch of this version is effectively compatible with the versions after SQL Server 2008, Azure SQL, and Azure SQL Management Instance. 

Certainly, various other features are introduced with this version launch. Let’s now take a look at the other major features that came with the release of SSMS v21. 

Major Advancements of SQL Server Management Studio v21

This upgrade of SQL Server Management Studio comprises many advanced features to enhance the overall performance of the tool. Let’s discuss these functionalities one by one to understand their applications and benefits in the tool. 

Integration of Copilot in SSMS 

The SSMS v21 comes with an integrated SSMS Copilot, which helps users efficiently write, optimize, and understand SQL commands with the help of natural language. This AI-feature integration helps boost productivity by generating queries, simplifying complex statements, and offering assistance. 

Improved IntelliSense

With the version upgrade, the IntelliSense is now smarter and provides more precise suggestions regarding context, tables, views, stored procedures, and functions. The upgrade has also improved the auto-complete feature, enabling developers to generate error-free SQL code more easily. 

Enhanced Query Editor Performance

One of the advancements of this version is the improved Query Editor Performance. The Query Editor now offers faster and refined results while executing long queries or dealing with large SQL scripts. With SSMS Copilot  Query Editor now has reduced lag when working with numerous tabs. 

Advanced Azure Integration in SSMS

The support for Azure SQL Database and the Azure SQL Managed Instance is now enhanced with the SSMS v21. Also, the database administrators can easily access the Azure-specific features in a centralized environment. 

Upgrades Regarding Security and Compliance

SQL Server Management Studio v21 also includes the updated and advanced security protocols. These protocols ensure compliance with the standards, like TLS 1.2 (Transport Layer Security 1.2).

With all these features, the version upgrade has majorly focused on improving and enhancing the performance and operations in SSMS. One of the major integrations in the version upgrade is the SQL Server Management Studio and Copilot. Let’s explore what this feature is and whether it is beneficial for the users or not. 

How to Install SSMS Copilot Efficiently? Overview

Copilot in SSMS is an AI-driven feature that is specifically designed to enhance and improve the overall productivity of database administrators. The Copilot helps by offering SQL Code suggestions, querying with natural language, and auto-completion of queries with the help of machine learning models. There are a few more benefits of using Copilot in SSMS. Let’s take a look at them:

• Improved productivity by speeding up the SQL scripting and development.
• Helps reduce the risk of human errors like syntax errors or logic errors by correcting them.
• Allows beginners to generate queries more easily and precisely.
• Using natural language, it also helps non-technical users with SQL operations.

So far, the SQL Server Management Studio and Copilot integration is still evolving, a deeper integration of the AI-driven tools has been hinted at by Microsoft in various development environments like SQL Server and many more. Now, we have learned about the basics of SSMS Copilot, let’s move to the process on how to enable Copilot in SSMS.

Steps for Enabling Copilot in SQL Server Management Studio

There are a few steps that should be followed by the users to install SQL Server Management Studio and Copilot. We will now take a look at and understand these steps one by one for a smoother integration of the feature. But first, we must understand the requirements for this installation. 

Prerequisites of Using SSMS Copilot

• The SQL Server Management Studio Version 21
• The Endpoint and Deployment in Azure OpenAI Service.

After following these prerequisites, it is now time to install Copilot in SQL Server Management Studio. The steps for the same are explained here.

Steps to Install SSMS v21

1. It is crucial for the users to check the system requirements for the installation of SQL Server Management Studio v21. 
2. Next, go to the official site of Microsoft and find SQL Server Management Studio 21 or download SSMS v21 directly. 
3. After clicking on the provided link, a bootstrapper file will be downloaded. Go to the folder where the bootstrapper file for SSMS v21 is downloaded and double-click on the file to start the installation process for SSMS Copilot. 
4. Go through the Microsoft Privacy Statement and Microsoft Software License terms and click on Continue. 

After installing the Visual Studio Installer, you will be provided with the option to choose from different workload options. Here are the steps that will help you install Copilot in SSMS. 

1. Run the Visual Studio Installer on your device.
2. Choose the installation of SSMS version you wish to modify, and then click on the Modify button. 
3. From the Workloads tab, select AI Assistance Option. The SSMS Copilot is a selected component by default in the Installation Details. 
4. Select the Modify option to finally install the Copilot Extension. 

Now, it’s time to configure Copilot in SSMS. Let’s take a look at and understand the configuration process of this extension. 

Configuration of SQL Server Management Studio and Copilot

The configuration of SSMS Copilot is quite a straightforward method if you have access to all the required components that are needed for the configuration. The three major components required for the configuration are as follows:

• Azure OpenAI Endpoint
• Azure OpenAI Deployment
• Azure OpenAI API Key

These three are the major requirements to configure Copilot in SSMS for efficient use. Next, the database administrators only have to follow the given steps for easy configuration:

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio version 21 on your device. You will see the Copilot icon in the toolbar.
2. Click on the Copilot button. The Copilot setup window will show up. In the setup window, you will be asked to add the required components for configuration. After adding the details, click on the Launch Copilot button to efficiently configure the feature.

Even though the Copilot feature is free for now, there are certain features that require an Azure subscription. After following all these steps, you will now be able to use Copilot in SSMS. Here is how the SSMS copilot looks after integration:

As we can see in the image, the Copilot pane is divided into two sections. One is the chat pane that provides the outcomes or explains the commands. The lower half of the pane is the comment box provided for the users to enter their prompts or queries. The pane also contains a notice explaining that the Copilot is AI-driven and can make mistakes, hence, it is important to verify and review the generated SQL code. 

Till here, we have installed and configured Copilot in SQL Server Management Studio efficiently. Let’s now take a look at what the benefits of this integration are and what the setbacks of Copilot in SSMS v21 are.

Is this AI Integration in SQL Server Management Studio Fully Reliable?

As we all know, every feature in SSMS has its advantages and limitations. Similarly, the Copilot in SQL Server has its benefits and setbacks. We have discussed the benefits of this feature earlier; now let’s take a look at the setbacks and risks that can occur with Copilot in SSMS.

• With this integration, Microsoft has upgraded the capabilities of SSMS with query execution and performance enhancements. The Copilot has allowed users to generate SQL Queries more easily with the help of features like auto-completion of code and suggestions for a better user experience. However, the SSMS Copilot pane shows up with a warning that the Copilot is powered by AI and can make mistakes. These mistakes can include minor damages or further lead to bigger issues, if not reviewed properly.
• Another feature offered by Copilot is that it allows users to turn plain English into executable SQL Queries. However, if Copilot doesn’t get the context of the required prompt, it might end up providing incorrect or inefficient code, leading to security risks in the database. 

Best Practices To Efficiently Benefit From Copilot in SSMS

Here are some of the best tips that will allow you to safely work with SSMS Copilot without risking the database security and integrity.

• It is important to properly set up and configure the SQL Server Management Studio and Copilot environment.
• To get accurate and desired results, give concise and clear comments or prompts in the Copilot pane.
• Use Copilot to boost the execution of commands like INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and SELECT.
• Before directly executing the suggestions provided by Copilot, review and verify them once. Also, run the suggested queries in a testing environment to minimize any risks.
• Do not use or add sensitive data like credentials, Personally Identifiable Information(PII), and other similar data.
• After adding the prompts or asking for SQL code, ask Copilot to explain the suggested command to verify its purpose and proceed with a safer execution.

Conclusion

In this thorough write-up, we have explored the SSMS Copilot with the upgraded SSMS v21. We also learned thoroughly about the features and how we can easily configure Copilot in SSMS for better performance and benefit from other features of SSMS v21. So, if you wish to upgrade the SQL Server Management Studio to version 21, you can follow this guide.