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Posts by SQL Server Team

What’s new with SQL Server Big Data Clusters 

  • Rahul Ajmera, Program Manager, SQL Server Big Data Clusters.
    By Rahul AjmeraProgram Manager, SQL Server Big Data Clusters
SQL Server Big Data Clusters (BDC) is a new capability brought to market as part of the SQL Server 2019 release. BDC extends SQL Server’s analytical capabilities beyond in-database processing of transactional and analytical workloads by uniting the SQL engine with Apache Spark and Apache Hadoop to create a single, secure, and unified data platform....Read more

Around the clock with Azure SQL and Azure Data Factory 

On February 3-4, the Azure SQL and Azure Data Factory teams are partnering on a learning event for the community to come together to learn about Azure SQL and Azure Data Factory, meet the engineering teams behind these services, and learn how you can get started with using Azure Data Factory and Azure SQL together....Read more

Resources for the SQL Server and Azure Data community 

Update: In January 2021, Microsoft publicly launched the new Azure Data Community webpage, began onboarding qualified user groups to the new Azure Data Meetup network, and began providing Microsoft Teams access to qualified user groups. The blog post below has been updated accordingly. If you are a leader who is interested in adding your existing...Read more

Microsoft Azure at Data Platform Virtual Summit 2020 

Data Platform Virtual Summit 2020 (DPS 2020) is just a couple of weeks away. A global learning event for data professionals, DPS 2020 features a keynote from Rohan Kumar, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Azure Data, as well as 200 breakout sessions and 30 training classes delivered by Azure Data engineering, partner organizations, and community...Read more

Microsoft Azure at PASS Virtual Summit 2020 

It is almost time for PASS Virtual Summit 2020, the premier learning event for the data professional. Similar to the in-person event, this virtual conference will include the latest SQL Server and Azure Data innovations, practical training, and networking—to empower you to transform your career and your company....Read more

Open sourcing the R and Python language extensions for SQL Server 

For the past decade, data science has become integral to many enterprise applications. Languages such as R and Python have left the realm of data scientists and are being used more frequently by data engineers supporting them. R and Python are the most popular data science languages currently for creating, training, and scoring models. Modernization...Read more

Analyze data in Azure Data Explorer using Kusto Query Language (KQL) extension in Azure Data Studio 

The Kusto (KQL) extension in Azure Data Studio is now available in preview. This native Kusto (KQL) support brings another modern data experience to Azure Data Studio, a cross-platform client – for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Users can now connect and browse their Azure Data Explorer clusters and databases, write and run KQL, as well...Read more

SQL Server Management Studio 18.6 is now generally available  

The release of SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 18.6 is now available for download. Today we’re sharing some of the updates from the release and the ongoing work in SQL Server Management Studio. Download SSMS 18.6 and read on for some highlights from the SSMS Release Notes.  The 18.6 release is the second major release of SSMS in 2020 and packs several high impact changes, including a fix for crashes in database diagrams. Key fixes...Read more

Unlock your free Azure replica for SQL Server with DH2i 

Are you aware that you may be entitled to a free SQL Server license in the cloud for disaster recovery? Recently-announced licensing benefits enable this scenario, and a third-party offering from DH2i can help you set up this configuration to ensure business continuity for your business. Availability benefits for SQL Server Software Assurance customers now...Read more
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Apache Spark Connector for SQL Server and Azure SQL is now open source 

Accelerating big data analytics with the Spark connector for SQL Server  We’re happy to announce that we have open–sourced the Apache Spark Connector for SQL Server and Azure SQL on GitHub. Born out of Microsoft’s SQL Server Big Data Clusters investments, the Apache Spark Connector for SQL Server and Azure SQL is a high-performance connector that enables you to use transactional data in big data analytics and persists results for ad-hoc queries or reporting....Read more