SQL servers are a simple solution to storing critical application data. In order to make it work for your business, you need to stay up-to-date on the latest developments and upgrades that come with the newest version of SQL.

We can help with that. Here’s a look at what’s new with SQL Server Management Studio 18.3.

Data classification

Microsoft reports that SQL Server Management Studio 18.3 now comes with additional data classification to some columns.

This new tool helps users discover, classify, label and report the sensitive information in your databases, which can help you meet modern data privacy standards and control access to your databases that contain highly sensitive data.

IntelliSense/Editor

For years, the SQL Server Management Studio has supported Microsoft IntelliSense, which reduces typing, provides quick access to syntax information, and makes it easier to view the delimiters of complex expressions.

SQL Server Management Studio 18.3 can now support a few new features, like “ALTER SERVER CONFIGURATION.”

Integration services

Microsoft says that SQL Server Management Studio 18.3 has now integrated a new selection menu that invokes SSIS package executions. You can access that integration by selecting Tools > Migrate to Azure > Configure Azure-enabled DTExec.

Added support

According to Dinakar Nethi, the senior program manager at Azure Data, SQL Server Management Studio 18.3 now includes added support for the following:

• Scripting Azure SQL Data Warehouse’s unique constraint.
• Ordered clustered columnstore index in Azure SQL Data Warehouse.
• SQL Server version 10 (SQL Server 2008) and higher.
• New sensitivity attribute ‘rank’ for SQL Server version 15 (SQL Server 2019) and higher and Azure SQL Database.

Bug fixes

Finally, Microsoft says it has fixed the following in SQL Server Management Studio 18.3:

• A scaling issue in MDX Query Editor.
• An issue in XEvent UI that prevents the users from being able to create a new session.
• An issue (in DacFx) which was causing this feature not to work.
• An issue was causing SSMS to crash when using the sorting feature in the XEvent viewer.
• Long outstanding issues where SSMS Restore database may hang indefinitely.
• An issue where the default language for all logins was shown as Arabic.
• The hard to see dialog for Query Options.
• The Completion time message visible in the Result Grid/File is now configurable under Tools > Options > Query Execution > SQL Server > Advanced > Show completion time.
• In the connection dialog, replaced Active Directory – Password and Active Directory – Integrated with Azure Active Directory – Password and Azure Active Directory – Integrated, respectively.
• An issue that prevents users from being able to use SSMS to configure auditing on SQL Azure-Managed Instances when located in a TZ with negative UTC offset.
• An issue in XEvent UI where hovering over the grid was causing rows to be selected.
• The issue where Import Flat File was not importing all data by letting the user choose between a simple or rich data type detection.
• Add new operation type StartNonCatalogExecution for SSIS Operation report.
• An issue in the Azure Data Factory pipelines generated by Azure-enabled DTExec utility to use the correct parameter type.
• Fixed an issue which was causing SMO to throw errors when fetching properties when SMO.Server.SetDefaultInitFields(true) was being used.
• Fixed an issue where the Y-axis didn’t scale when Execution Count Metric was selected in Tracked Query View.
• Disabled clearing and approving baseline for Azure SQL DBs.

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