Azure Data Studio August Release
Thank you to Erin Stellato (Program Manager, SQL Experiences) and Drew Skwiers-Koballa (Program Manager, SQL Experiences) for contributing to this blog.
The end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere can be a quiet time for some, but the Azure Data Studio team has been busy. We’ve got another release to share and would like to start with a big “Thank You” to all who have interacted with the team and provided feedback through the various platforms and at recent events. (Hello VS Live attendees!) In this release, we have addressed issues across core features, and extensions, and fixed accessibility and usability bugs—many based on customer feedback. Please continue to share suggestions with us!
The Deployment Wizard now supports SQL Server 2022
SQL Server 2022, the most Azure-enabled release of SQL Server yet was announced in May and is publicly available in preview. SQL Server 2022 (preview) is now also available as an option in the Azure Data Studio Deployment Wizard. On the homepage, click on Deploy a Server and then choose the appropriate deployment option—SQL Server on Windows or SQL Server container image. On the version dropdown menu in Step 1: Deployment pre-requisites, select SQL Server 2022 Preview. This will then direct you to the free trial setup page. Please note that this trial is valid for 180 days or about 6 months.
Ledger Objects
Azure SQL Database and SQL Server 2022 includes support for Ledger, a new technology that brings the security and trust benefits of blockchain to relational databases. In this release of Azure Data Studio, we have introduced the appropriate icons for Ledger tables and views in Object Explorer, as well as scripting for CREATE and DROP. We will continue to expand support for Ledger in future releases.
Query Plan Viewer and Table Designer Updates
Both Query Plan Viewer and Table Designer are still in preview, with minor improvements in this release. Table Designer now supports the creation of filtered indexes, and you can specify included columns for nonclustered indexes.
Query Plan Viewer now includes the ability to copy text from the Properties pane, and new Find Node buttons exist in plan comparison to quickly find operators in either the original or added plan.
SQL Database Projects Updates
The SQL Database Projects Publish dialog has been enhanced with a breadth of options including excluding object types, data definition language (DDL) trigger behavior, index rebuild behavior, and more. These options are available after clicking the Advanced button and a description for each option appears at the bottom of the panel. With the availability of these options, you can now publish a SQL project or generate the publish script with more precision for the requirements unique to your environment.
Extension Updates
Anyone who has spent time in the Query Editor window knows that some days you write a lot of queries, regardless of whether you’re coding, tuning, or troubleshooting. There are times when you continually edit the same query, trying to get it just right, and then suddenly you realize that the version several iterations ago was the “best” one. But what was the exact syntax? With the Query History extension, you can view all the previous queries you’ve executed. The most recent update of the extension includes an enhancement that permits a double-click on a history query to open in a new query window and optionally, immediately execute it. For anyone who has lost minutes or hours trying to remember what they wrote, this extension can be a lifesaver.
In addition, an updated PowerShell extension was released in July from the VS Code team and is now available in the extension gallery for ADS. The release provides a more reliable PowerShell editor that includes an improved interface, and built-in snippets.
Summary
Let us know what you think of these updates by engaging with us on Twitter or by creating issues on GitHub. We would love to hear your feedback as we continue to iterate on Azure Data Studio.
Did You Know?
You can watch cute dogs while learning about Databases. Be sure to follow Anna Hoffman as she shares short but valuable information about the Azure Data platform as she walks her dog, Moose in this series.
