Think SQL Server is just rows and columns? Think again. SQL has been quietly adding capabilities that might surprise even experienced developers. Native binary JSON, JSON indexes, computed columns, triggers, and more. Turns out, you don't need to abandon relational databases to get the flexibility of NoSQL.

In this session, we'll explore how to build document-centric applications with SQL Server. We'll query JSON, index it, handle large documents, react to changes, and combine flexible documents with relational data. We'll even go beyond JSON into XML, regular expressions, and fuzzy search. It's a lot more than you might expect from a relational database, and some of these features are pretty amazing.

You'll learn

How SQL Server supports NoSQL-style applications with native binary JSON, JSON functions, and JSON indexes.

How to build practical document patterns using computed columns, triggers, large documents, and hybrid relational designs.

How XML, regular expressions, fuzzy search, and other SQL capabilities extend what's possible without adding another database engine.