vNext 2016

  • Comments posted to this topic are about the item vNext 2016

  • I have never been a fan of these datasheets as they often don't provide me with enough information to see what I am interested in. I suppose, if nothing else, it does encourage me to look further into areas that have piqued my interest.

    Also, I agree that "stretch" doesn't feel that it describes what it is doing.

    Gaz

    -- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

  • Care to give us a hint on which feature we 'may NOT like'?

  • Looks like a lot of focus on Azure there. Inevitable but I'd really see improvements(*) in the core engine as well, but other than the edge case in-memory tables (useful but you have to design explicitly for them) this fact sheet is shy of any details.

    * Maybe I've been spoiled by other DB systems, but column domains are a great tool for ensuring data consistency. String handling where the speed isn't measured in minutes rather than ms would be nice as well (yes, I know the workarounds but some things ought to be easily possible at the data level).

  • n.ryan (5/7/2015)


    I'd really see improvements(*) in the core engine as well

    There are some nice ones coming.

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass
  • GilaMonster (5/7/2015)


    n.ryan (5/7/2015)


    I'd really see improvements(*) in the core engine as well

    There are some nice ones coming.

    Tease!!!

    Gaz

    -- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

  • There was a really interesting use case for Stretch Tables explained at Ignite this week - temporal data (which is also a new feature in SQL 2016.)

    If you enable temporal tables (long-term archival of past versions of rows), you can set up the history to go into an Azure stretch table. Keep the most recent X days in your on-premise database, and then beyond that, migrate the data off into Azure.

    This gets rid of the problem of being unable to change the Azure versions of the row - since they're the temporal versions, you can't change them anyway, and you don't care about indexing those.

    Now, suddenly it looks genius in theory, although the devil will be in the implementation.

  • While I guess I'd expect Microsoft to put more and more into Azure, it has a long way to go to catch up with the boxed product. I just hope they don't forget about the boxed product that's the giant where they've made a lot of money. Speaking to the money, the cost and licensing can only go in one direction - up.

    As for the string-handling, there are been connect items for built-in tally tables and string-handling functions for quite some time. I don't know if they're ever going to happen, but with the set of tools the community has built up over the years, it isn't an urgent need for me.

    I'm always curious about the new and cool stuff that's coming out in the next version, but I know realistically that I'm not going to get to play with any of it for a few years. I have plenty of time to review real details, once they come out, before I'll get to install anything at work. And honestly, I'm okay with that. I'll always opt for stability over coolness.

  • Ed Wagner (5/7/2015)


    While I guess I'd expect Microsoft to put more and more into Azure, it has a long way to go to catch up with the boxed product.

    Ed - you know both Azure SQL Database and SQL Server are the same code base now, right? When you connect to Azure SQL Database, it's the next version of SQL Server, basically. They get the features first, and after those features stabilize, it trickles down to the boxed product.

  • The stretch feature looks useful for audit data too. There the inability to edit the rows is a feature, not a flaw.

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass
  • Brent Ozar (5/7/2015)


    Ed Wagner (5/7/2015)


    While I guess I'd expect Microsoft to put more and more into Azure, it has a long way to go to catch up with the boxed product.

    Ed - you know both Azure SQL Database and SQL Server are the same code base now, right? When you connect to Azure SQL Database, it's the next version of SQL Server, basically. They get the features first, and after those features stabilize, it trickles down to the boxed product.

    No, I didn't know that. The last time I saw a presentation on Azure, there was no *real* SSMS window, just click-click-click. Not being able to do backups the way I'm used to was a real stumbling point, but I could get past it. I know change is inevitable and I'm okay with it, but what struck me most was the lack of features I've grown accustomed to. Granted, it's been a while since I saw it, so I'll give it another look. Thanks for the update, Brent.

  • MS-SQL on Azure (Azure-SQL) is very much more a PaaS solution with quite restricted functionality compared to the lower-level tweaks and tools available on a local MS-SQL server. Naturally it's quite possible to have your own private cloud hosted instance of MS-SQL where you have all the functionality and access you may require, which is more inline with IaaS. However as with all things Cloud there are plenty of buzz words and duff usage of terminology in marketing materials to get in your way.

    Luckily we have a choice and some of the possibilities opened up by hybrid local / cloud systems are looking to be very useful.

  • Ed Wagner (5/7/2015)

    The last time I saw a presentation on Azure, there was no *real* SSMS window, just click-click-click.

    Ah, that's definitely a bad move on the presenter's fault. You can connect to Azure SQL Database with SQL Server Management Studio just like you would a regular SQL Server. Hope that helps!

  • Checked out the datasheet. It looks pretty good. I like the idea of always on encryption without a major rewrite of our apps. This will help us with our HIPAA security requirements. Maybe finally there will be enough to get us off of 2008 R2.

  • n.ryan (5/7/2015)


    MS-SQL on Azure (Azure-SQL) is very much more a PaaS solution with quite restricted functionality compared to the lower-level tweaks and tools available on a local MS-SQL server.

    Other than features which touch the file system or depend on the specific hardware (xp_cmdshell, backups, etc), Azure SQL (or whatever it's called this week) has more features than SQL 2014 Enterprise edition.

    Compression, encryption, partitioning, almost all T-SQL (no more clustered index required for tables), hekaton, etc.

    The 'restricted features' was true a few months ago.

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

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