Microsoft recently released SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 22, along with SQL Server 2025. As expected, these software feature a lot of AI features, including a preview of GitHub Copilot and native support for vector data types which are useful for AI workloads. Now, Microsoft has rolled out version 22.1.0 of SSMS, along with clearing the air about the permissive scopes of AI capabilities and future plans.
SSMS 22.1 is a relatively major release that contains five new features and nine bugfixes. The latest capabilities in tow are all related to the GitHub Copilot preview available in the IDE, such as:
- Introduced the GitHub Copilot Walkthrough, available from the Copilot badge
- Added right-click menu support for Document, Explain, Fix, and Optimize code assistance
- Improved response time after submitting the first prompt for a thread
- Introduced Bring your own model (BYOM)
- Updated the default model to be Claude 4.5 for paid subscriptions
In addition, Microsoft has emphasized that none of the included models in GitHub Copilot are trained on your prompts and responses, both of which are encrypted. You can also leverage the Extended Events and filter on an Application Name of Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio – GitHub Copilot to view the queries that GitHub Copilot executes on your behalf.
Speaking of which, GitHub Copilot does not have the ability to run destructive commands (such as DELETE statements) right now. However, Microsoft plans to introduce Agent Mode in SSMS soon, which will allow queries with write permissions too, as long as a user explicitly allows this. Agent Mode in SSMS will leverage the user"s permissions, so Microsoft has recommended IT admins to set up database roles following the principle of least privilege.
Of course, IT admins also have the ability to completely disable GitHub Copilot and Agent Mode (once it becomes available) in SSMS. You can read more about it here, and browse the list of bugfixes in SSMS 22.1.0 here.