SQL Server 2025: The AI-Ready Enterprise Database (Training Material)

This repository contains the overview and materials for the FabCon SQL Server 2025 Pre-Conference Training. This full-day session covers the new features, architecture, and capabilities of SQL Server 2025, focusing on its AI integration, developer tools, and hybrid cloud capabilities.

📚 Resources & Demos

The demos referenced in this training are hosted in the following Microsoft repositories:

• Primary Demo Repo: microsoft/bobsql/tree/master/sql2025book
  • Look for demos marked with 🔬 in the outline.
• Supplemental Demos: microsoft/bobsql/tree/master/demos/sqlserver2025
  • Look for demos marked with 🧪 in the outline.

🗓️ Agenda Overview

The training is divided into several modules covering the "ground to cloud" story of SQL Server 2025.

Module 1: Welcome & The Big Picture

• Introduction to SQL Server 2025 as the AI-ready enterprise database.
• Overview of the 5 pillars: AI Built-In, Security & Performance, Developer Experience, Cloud Agility, and Fabric Integration.
• Architecture deep dive and new tooling (SSMS 22, VS Code extensions).

Module 2: AI Built-In

• Vector Search: Understanding RAG patterns, embeddings, and vector stores.
• Native AI Features: vector data type, VECTOR_DISTANCE, and CREATE EXTERNAL MODEL.
• Building scalable AI applications and "Agentic RAG" using T-SQL.

Module 3: Develop Modern Data Applications

• REST API: Automatic REST endpoints for stored procedures.
• JSON Enhancements: Native JSON type and performance improvements.
• Regular Expressions: Native regex support in T-SQL.
• GitHub Copilot: AI assistance for SQL development in VS Code and SSMS.

Module 4: Integrate Your Data with Fabric

• Mirroring: Near-real-time data replication to Fabric.
• OneLake: Accessing SQL Server data in OneLake.
• Hybrid Analytics: Combining operational data with advanced analytics in Fabric.

Module 5: Secure by Default & Mission Critical

• Security: Microsoft Entra authentication, Ledger, and Defender for SQL.
• Performance: Intelligent Query Processing (IQP) Next Gen, Optimized Locking.
• High Availability: Always On availability group enhancements.

🛠️ Prerequisites for Demos

To run the demos associated with this training, you will typically need:

• SQL Server 2025 (Developer Edition or higher).
• SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 22 or Azure Data Studio.
• Visual Studio Code with the mssql extension.
• Azure Subscription (required for features involving Azure OpenAI, Arc, or Fabric).
• Python/Notebook Environment (for some AI-related demos).

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Check overview.md for the detailed slide-by-slide outline.