22-25 April 2026 
Hidden Power in SQL Server 2025: Off by Default, On by Choice
Proposed session for SQLBits 2026TL; DR
SQL Server 2025 ships with powerful new features that remain off by default. This session explains what they are, why they're disabled, and how to decide whether enabling them will boost performance, or break expectations, in your environment.
Session Details
SQL Server 2025 comes loaded with new engine enhancements, smarter behaviors, and performance boosters, many of which Microsoft decided to leave switched off. Why? Because with great power comes great responsibility (and potential workload surprises).
In this session, we explore the most important SQL Server 2025 features that are disabled by default, including new locking behaviors, concurrency improvements, and advanced query-processing capabilities. You'll learn what each feature does, what changes when you enable it, and why Microsoft opted for caution rather than flipping the switch for everyone.
We’ll walk through practical real-world scenarios as well as discussing the risks and rewards of each feature to help you evaluate whether they're right for your environment. Expect clear explanations and honest caveats as we separate “definitely turn this on” from “maybe don’t do that on Friday at 4 PM.”
In this session, we explore the most important SQL Server 2025 features that are disabled by default, including new locking behaviors, concurrency improvements, and advanced query-processing capabilities. You'll learn what each feature does, what changes when you enable it, and why Microsoft opted for caution rather than flipping the switch for everyone.
We’ll walk through practical real-world scenarios as well as discussing the risks and rewards of each feature to help you evaluate whether they're right for your environment. Expect clear explanations and honest caveats as we separate “definitely turn this on” from “maybe don’t do that on Friday at 4 PM.”
3 things you'll get out of this session
Understand which SQL Server 2025 features are off by default and why.
Learn how enabling each feature affects performance and behavior.
Gain a clear understanding for deciding which features to safely activate in your environment.