SQL Server 2016 Developer’s Guide

Get the most out of the rich development capabilities of SQL Server 2016 to build efficient database applications for your organization

About This Book

• Utilize the new enhancements in Transact-SQL and security features in SQL Server 2016 to build efficient database applications
• Work with temporal tables to get information about data stored in the table at any point in time
• A detailed guide to SQL Server 2016, introducing you to multiple new features and enhancements to improve your overall development experience

Who This Book Is For

This book is for database developers and solution architects who plan to use the new SQL Server 2016 features for developing efficient database applications. It is also ideal for experienced SQL Server developers who want to switch to SQL Server 2016 for its rich development capabilities. Some understanding of the basic database concepts and Transact-SQL language is assumed.

What You Will Learn

• Explore the new development features introduced in SQL Server 2016
• Identify opportunities for In-Memory OLTP technology, significantly enhanced in SQL Server 2016
• Use columnstore indexes to get significant storage and performance improvements
• Extend database design solutions using temporal tables
• Exchange JSON data between applications and SQL Server in a more efficient way
• Migrate historical data transparently and securely to Microsoft Azure by using Stretch Database
• Use the new security features to encrypt or to have more granular control over access to rows in a table
• Simplify performance troubleshooting with Query Store
• Discover the potential of R’s integration with SQL Server

In Detail

Microsoft SQL Server 2016 is considered the biggest leap in the data platform history of the Microsoft, in the ongoing era of Big Data and data science. Compared to its predecessors, SQL Server 2016 offers developers a unique opportunity to leverage the advanced features and build applications that are robust, scalable, and easy to administer.

This book introduces you to new features of SQL Server 2016 which will open a completely new set of possibilities for you as a developer. It prepares you for the more advanced topics by starting with a quick introduction to SQL Server 2016’s new features and a recapitulation of the possibilities you may have already explored with previous versions of SQL Server. The next part introduces you to small delights in the Transact-SQL language and then switches to a completely new technology inside SQL Server – JSON support. We also take a look at the Stretch database, security enhancements, and temporal tables.

The last chapters concentrate on implementing advanced topics, including Query Store, columnstore indexes, and In-Memory OLTP. You will finally be introduced to R and how to use the R language with Transact-SQL for data exploration and analysis.

By the end of this book, you will have the required information to design efficient, high-performance database applications without any hassle.

Style and approach

This book is a detailed guide to mastering the development features offered by SQL Server 2016, with a unique learn-as-you-do approach. All the concepts are explained in a very easy-to-understand manner and are supplemented with examples to ensure that you—the developer—are able to take that next step in building more powerful, robust applications for your organization with ease.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction to SQL Server 2016
Chapter 2. Review of SQL Server Features for Developers
Chapter 3. SQL Server Tools
Chapter 4. Transact-SQL Enhancements
Chapter 5. JSON Support in SQL Server
Chapter 6. Stretch Database
Chapter 7. Temporal Tables
Chapter 8. Tightening the Security
Chapter 9. Query Store
Chapter 10. Columnstore Indexes
Chapter 11. Introducing SQL Server In-Memory OLTP
Chapter 12. In-Memory OLTP Improvements in SQL Server 2016
Chapter 13. Supporting R in SQL Server
Chapter 14. Data Exploration and Predictive Modeling with R in SQL Server