22-25 April 2026 
Level Up Your Stack with SQL Server 2025’s New Dev Features
Proposed session for SQLBits 2026TL; DR
Discover how SQL Server 2025 boosts developer productivity with enhanced JSON, native RegEx, REST API integration, and Data API Builder. Learn how these features modernize app architecture and streamline development workflows.
Session Details
SQL Server 2025 is no longer just the wise old RDBMS in the corner, it’s been hitting the gym. In this session, we’ll explore the surprisingly modern, genuinely developer-friendly features that make SQL Server feel more like a full-stack teammate than a data vault.
We’ll look at the upgraded JSON support, native RegEx functions that eliminate all those “I swear this should be simple” text-parsing moments, and the ability to call REST APIs right from T-SQL. We’ll also dive into Data API Builder, which turns tables into REST or GraphQL endpoints faster than you can say “middleware.”
By the end, you’ll understand how SQL Server 2025 helps you build modern, flexible, cloud-friendly apps with less plumbing, and fewer workarounds.
We’ll look at the upgraded JSON support, native RegEx functions that eliminate all those “I swear this should be simple” text-parsing moments, and the ability to call REST APIs right from T-SQL. We’ll also dive into Data API Builder, which turns tables into REST or GraphQL endpoints faster than you can say “middleware.”
By the end, you’ll understand how SQL Server 2025 helps you build modern, flexible, cloud-friendly apps with less plumbing, and fewer workarounds.
3 things you'll get out of this session
Understand SQL Server 2025’s new developer-focused features and how they streamline modern application development.
Learn how JSON, RegEx, and REST capabilities enable flexible, hybrid data and API-driven workflows.
Explore practical patterns for integrating SQL Server 2025 into modern, cloud-ready architecture designs.