SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is among the most popular integrated development environments (IDE) that people use to manage their SQL infrastructure and related data. The latest major version of SSMS is version 22, and Microsoft has been steadily releasing point upgrades for it over the past few months. The latest update, now available, is SSMS 22.5.
SSMS 22.5 has a new Migrations Page that acts as a centralized portal to get started on anything related to migrations. You can access it by right-clicking on an instance and selecting Migrate SQL Server, where you can trigger an assessment, configure a target, monitor an in-progress migration, and more. Microsoft has noted that the development of this unified page is an iterative process and more improvements will come down the line.
Next, SQL projects, which are currently in preview have received some enhancements too. These include the ability to import objects from an existing database into a project, leverage the Advanced Publish settings dialog, explore new templates, and a brand new icon.
Another relatively minor change that will likely be appreciated by many is the automatic clearance of the "friendly" Name field, because it was causing too much confusion when developers would change configuration details but the old friendly name of the connection would be retained.
Finally, when it comes to GitHub Copilot integration in SSMS, we have support for interactions in the result pane, but do keep in mind that the way you phrase your prompt is very important. It"s also worth noting that if you use Copilot Free, Pro, and Pro+, your interaction data will be used to train AI models by default, unless you opt out. You can view the detailed release notes here, where you"ll also find granular details about the dozen bug fixes included in this release.
Interestingly, Microsoft has acknowledged how some customers have noted difficulties in adjusting to this new release cadence, especially considering how SSMS 20 and earlier had fewer releases. However, the company says "just as we have figured out this new rhythm and put new systems in place to make the process smoother, we’re confident you will as well".