Updated: April 11, 2025 (January 11, 2025)

SQL Server 2025 Gets Engine and AI Updates

Before joining Directions on Microsoft, Rob worked at Microsoft for 14 years where he designed technologies for Microsoft products and... more

SQL Server 2025, in private preview, will bring engine performance improvements, security enhancements, and new features for working with AI and Fabric.

It will probably offer extensive backward compatibility, easing migration and allowing customers to extend their support life-cycles.

Customers using SQL Server 2016 and earlier are particularly good candidates for upgrading to the new version.

Licensing and edition changes, if any, will not be announced until general availability, which is expected in late 2025.

SQL Server 2025 is the next major version of Microsoft’s flagship on-premises database product, which was last updated with SQL Server 2022 in Nov. 2022. The first (private) SQL Server 2025 preview arrived in Nov. 2024, but Microsoft has stated the preview may not include all the features and updates that will arrive at general availability.

(For a timeline showing supported SQL Server versions, see “SQL Server Timeline.”)

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