SQL Server 2022 - Key features from Standard and Enterprise

Among the most important features of the SQL Server 2022 version are again central features such as the highly scalable Cloud services and the Microsoft data encryption technology Always Encrypted, in addition to the possibility of clustering data. Especially the use of Big Data clusters expands in in SQL Server 2022 the options or application areas in the analysis and processing of large amounts of data, for example, through the intelligent processing of search queries and the use of containers in all essential processes.

In terms of security, SQL Server 2022 also offers a high Standard in the protection of data with features such as accelerated database recovery as well as the classification of data during reliable monitoring. The following overview provides more detailed information on the individual functional areas.

SQL Server 2022 - Big Data Cluster

SQL Server 2022 offers all the prerequisites for powerful Big Data management, which is indispensable when analyzing and processing large volumes of data. To this end, this version again includes powerful tools to also process and handle data quickly to make it available to companies for various applications. This includes intelligent query processing as well as the ability to move Big Data workloads to SQL Server instead of managing them locally on Hadoop-based platforms, for example. In addition, SQL Server 2022 Standard and Enterprise offer the following features:

• Built-in connectors as well as SQL Server PolyBase to query external databases such as Oracle, Teradata, Mongo DB, HDFS as well as Azure Data Lake, if applicable, without first physically moving or replicating the data
• Deploying scalable clusters at SQL Server-, Spark and HDFS containers with Kubernetes for parallel querying as well as writing and processing data with Transact-SQL
• Running AI and machine learning tasks in HDFS storage pools
• Deploying applications as containers as well as apps in the form of web services
• The scalable HDFS storage pool Data Lake can be used to store data as well as combine it from various external sources
• Data Mart can be used for horizontal scaling of Big Data clusters, improving the performance of data analytics
• Plus the use of AI tools as well as Spark with R, Python, Scala and Java

SQL Server 2022 - Reliable Performance

For query processing, as well as other key operations, SQL Server 2022 features its usual high scalability and reliable performance, ensured by its high availability - including Server Core support, failoverServer for disaster recovery, and always-on failover cluster instances for enhanced database recovery, including encrypted backup.

For large object binaries, features such as columnstore and in-memory database with in-memory OLTP1, a hybrid buffer pool and persistent memory are also available to optimize performance, especially for mission-critical workloads. SQL Server 2022 supports parallel processing of partitioned tables and multiple filestream containers with features such as stretch database, table and index partitioning and data compression, with up to 50 instances.

Buy SQL Server 2022 - Improved Security

The security aspect in a relational database system still plays an important role in the processing as well as the availability of especially large amounts of data in order to prevent any unauthorized access to it. In SQL Server 2022, the Always Encrypted feature is an effective function that uses secure enclaves to protect sensitive data as well as support the secure execution of typical operations.

Secure database columns can be used to define the trust boundary for Client applications on the server side in such a way that neither the SQL Server nor other databases or a system administrator can access it. Operations that require the use of confidential data in plain text can thus be performed more securely.

Other security features include transparent database encryption with extensible key management, as well as row-level security and dynamic data masking, in addition to user-defined role management.

SQL Server 2022 Enterprise Edition - Exclusive Features and Properties

Compared to the Standard edition of SQL Server 2022, the Enterprise edition offers a significant Plus both in terms of scalability of functions and additional features for Big Data processing.

MS SQL Server 2022 - Scalability and High Availability

SQL Server 2022 Enterprise provides with the scalability probably the maximum of the operating system and/or the main memory and the SQL Server-database engine Pro instance and/or feature with a so far maximum relational database size of 524 PB:

• Analysis Services
• Reporting Services
• Buffer pool Working memory
• Columnstore segment cache
• Memory optimized data size

Scaling is available for both grouped and ungrouped columnstore indexes, in-memory OLTP, memory-optimized tempdb metadata with persistent memory support, Stretch Database, and Service Broker, which is a framework for sending messages within and between databases and for developing highly scalable applications with asynchronous communication. Scaling is also available with table and index partitioning, batch mode for rowstore, delayed compilation of table variables, and with inlining of user-defined scalar functions.

SQL Server 2022 Enterprise high availability is available for Server Core support, fast recovery of online pages and files, database mirroring and backup compressions, among others. With Always On failover cluster instances and Always On availability as well as basic availability groups, multiple secondary databases can be maintained without shared storage. In addition, adding storage while the system is running is possible.

SQL Server 2022 Enterprise - Further exclusive features

In addition to increased scalability, the following key performance enhancement features are available in SQL Server 2022 Enterprise Edition:

• Intelligent Query Processing (IQP) refers to a set of optimized processes for fast query processing on large data sets. For example, the APPROX_COUNT_DISTINCT(expression) function can deliver significantly faster results in large Big Data tables; while Table Variable Deferred Compilation uses the actual number of rows for a table variable instead of the default value of 1 for better performance. Further, Scalar UDF Inlining incorporates calls to user-defined functions into the main query, and Batch Mode on Rowstore (BMOR) can reduce CPU usage.
• Intelligent Performance refers to a set of improvements in the execution speed of database operations.
• Enabling Lightweight Query Profiling Infrastructure by default allows to quickly obtain Row Count and I/O Usage information
• Accelerated Database Recovery (ADR) provides faster database recovery, e.g. after a reboot, or accelerated rollback for long-running transactions.
• Big Data Cluster (BDC) in SQL Server 2022 is a Linux-based container cluster in Kubernetes or Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS)from SQL Server and Apache Spark, with storage in the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) using different storage providers.
• Secure Enclaves allow encrypted data to be processed in a segregated black box on the database server in plain text.
• The Database Snapshot feature creates a snapshot of the database, for example to document its status; Last Query Plan Statistics also provides a view of current queries.

SQL Server 2022 - Licensing of the editions Standard and Enterprise

The licensing of the SQL Server 2022 version will presumably be carried out again according to the usual regulations specified by the Microsoft license management: Thereby for the Standard edition the choice exists between the Core-based licensing and the combination of Server-license Plus Client Access license for User or end devices; the Enterprise edition can only be licensed Core-based. These rules also apply to the purchase of used software for SQL Server 2022.

• For Core-based licensing of SQL Server 2022, one SQL Server Core license must be purchased for each virtual processor of a VM or container. The minimum Pro VM/container is always 4 Core licenses from Microsoft.
• Thus, in addition to the number of physically available Core processors, the number of virtual Server is also taken into account.
• A single SQL Server 2022 license covers 2 physical processor cores.

In addition, there are further provisions for calculating the server capacity, which you can find out from an employee at Wiresoft by e-mail or directly in the chat or by phone.

• When licensing SQL Server 2022 Standard with a combination of server license and Client Access license, in addition to the server license, each User or end device accessing the SQL Server must also be equipped with its own CAL.

Client Access Licenses for User or end devices to SQL Server 2022 are also available as used software from Wiresoft.