My favourite SQL 2022 feature? Just from introductions and blogposts I really look forward to PSP (not a gaming console) and in general Query store changes to help optimize queries. It sounds like Microsoft got the confidence about Query store to enable it by default, which will definitely force more DBAs to keep it enabled and hopefully to use it as I feel that among DBAs it is still not a staple tool or feature.

Especially with Parameter Sensitive Plan optimization, it will be interesting how is it going to work in real life among different systems and workloads, but for sure a step forward.

On top of that as a T-SQL developer I look forward to changes in TSQL itself, although to be fair, some of them just follow the ANSI standard, so it is not like Microsoft came up with everything on their own.

The thing with new features makes me wonder how hard would it be to get them into older and still supported versions and if Microsoft actually wants to do that. I understand that the SQL version has to be upgraded (and a new licence paid) at the end of the lifecycle, although how much support from Microsoft itself you have ever gotten? Getting new features to supported versions would make changes to the community of SQL server so much faster, just imagine that as a dev working on a product, that has to wait on all supported versions you have to wait a few years until the 20222 version will be the oldest supported and then you can start using new T-SQL commands otherwise your code would not work on older versions.

I understand it’s not easy and it is not just adding a new T-SQL command/function into CU and that the changes are happening across the product – like it is not just the interpreter but also the query optimizer etc. I am just saying that this is keeping the process of adopting new features quite slow. On the other hand, does not Microsoft like this, we know that the development especially with big additions like Columnstore indexes, Query store etc. is gradual and stretches over a few versions maybe it is just for good that only those how are really keen and have the option start using everything once it is released, Microsoft could get relevant feedback from all the “testers” and then make it steady for the rest of us.

And on the topic of new year’s resolutions? I don’t like them, I don’t do them. I believe that if you want to make a change, you should start any day a year, ideally immediately, not making drastic decisions and be consistent with small changes to your life and making the “resolutions” your new lifestyle, like eating healthy food, exercise etc. is much better and on a long time scale has a better chance for success.

Hope you liked my first T-SQL Tuesday attendance and I already look forward to #160.

Jiri D.

This blog was written based on tsqltuesday.com invitation #159