SQL Server Management Studio Update Adds Paid Copilot

• A new version of SQL Server Management Studio brings the most significant updates to the tool in a decade.
• The new release demonstrates Microsoft’s renewed commitment to the tool, but it is the first time the tool could incur costs.
• Having the proper access control configured is critical when using the tool’s new Copilot.

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) version 21 is in preview, bringing several new features to improve the way administrators and developers perform tasks related to SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and Azure Synapse Analytics. The updates are the most substantial in several years, and the tool gets a Copilot for the first time. However, Microsoft is no longer accepting new participants for the first Copilot preview, and the next preview date for that feature has not been announced. 

(For an overview of SSMS, see the sidebar “Understanding SQL Server Management Studio.”)

Microsoft Investment Not Waning

SSMS version 21 brings new features that demonstrate Microsoft investment in the tool is not waning. The improvements let administrators and developers stay within SSMS for more use cases rather than switching to other tools, and they update the SSMS environment to more closely match other modern tools.