What’s New for Developers in SQL Server 2025
SQL Server 2025 is packed with groundbreaking features and modern data capabilities. In this demo-packed session, we’ll explore the most exciting new features tailored specif-ically for developers—from native support for JSON and vectors to AI integration that’s secure and production-ready.
We’ll cover the brand-new native JSON data type, JSON functions, and blazing-fast JSON indexing to achieve high-performance document-style queries within the database. Then, we’ll dive into AI with native vector support and DiskANN indexing, enabling semantic search and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)—plus the ability to securely define and reuse AI models. We’ll also explore powerful new T-SQL enhancements for fuzzy matching, regular expressions, pattern searching, and more.
Best of all, these SQL Server 2025 features are unified and supported across Azure SQL Database, Managed Instance, and Fabric. Attend this session and get ready for SQL Server 2025 today!
About the speaker
Leonard Lobel
Leonard Lobel (Microsoft MVP, Data Platform) is the chief technology officer and co-founder of Sleek Technologies, Inc., a New York-based development shop with an early adopter philosophy toward new technologies. He is also a Microsoft consultant at Ernst & Young.
Programming since 1979, Lenni specializes in Microsoft-based solutions, with experience that spans a variety of business domains, including publishing, financial, wholesale/retail, health care, and e-commerce. Lenni has served as chief architect and lead developer for various organizations, ranging from small shops to high-profile clients. He is also a consultant, trainer, and frequent speaker at local usergroup meetings, VSLive, SQL Bits, and other industry conferences.
Lenni has also authored several MS Press books and Pluralsight courses on SQL Server and Azure Cosmos DB programming.