2025 has been a year full of changes and announcements for those working with SQL daily.

SSMS 21 brought many new features (and SSMS 22 had already been revealed), VS Code should reach feature parity Azure Data Studio and fully replace Azure Data Studio that has been retired, MCP Servers, Copilot, new standard for Database Project and much more.

But what does this mean in real-world daily work?

In this session, we'll take a look at the current tools, Microsoft’s direction, and what the future might hold with a practical focus on what’s worth learning and adopting today to stay ahead.