SQL Nonrelational Data Access Updates

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Access to JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) documents and unstructured Hadoop data is being incorporated into the next version of SQL Server and a future update of Azure SQL Database. The preview for SQL Server 2016 is expected in mid-2015, and generally availability is scheduled for Apr. 2016. Azure SQL Database is expected to preview the features in late 2015.

Native JSON Support

Native JSON functionality in SQL Server 2016 will provide the ability to manage, store, and query nonrelational document data using traditional SQL Server tables and existing T-SQL skills, filling an important gap in SQL Server’s data access capabilities.

JSON is a popular data exchange format, based on self-describing data objects (documents), and is typically used in applications (such as Web and mobile applications) that need a flexible data schema and the ability to cross OSs and devices. Microsoft uses JSON as the storage format in Azure DocumentDB, which is Microsoft’s hosted Not Only SQL (NoSQL) database service, and OneNote, Microsoft’s hosted freeform note-taking product.

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