The Release Candidate 2 version of SQL Server 2017, for example, includes new graph database capabilities for modeling many-to-many relationships. SQL Compare v13 fully supports this and allows users to compare and deploy databases which include both graph and relational tables.
While relational databases like SQL Server are trusted by enterprises for mission-critical workloads that store and process large volumes of data, graph databases can make it easier to analyze interconnected data and complex relationships.
Social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn use graph databases extensively, and businesses are now looking at how they too can explore them to reveal valuable information about the relationships between customers.
Prior to the introduction of SQL Graph in SQL Server 2017, relational database users typically turned to a graph database like Neo4j, resulting in two separate workloads, often connected, hosted on different systems.
SQL Graph in SQL Server 2017 changes the game by allowing users to use a single query across graph and relational objects. SQL Compare v13 supports this and users can be confident they can compare and deploy the updated databases with ease.
“Microsoft have taken a big step forward with SQL Server 2017,” says Jamie Wallis, Redgate Product Marketing Manager. “SQL Graph gives users more options on the same platform and our new SQL Compare release reassures them they can still make error-free deployments.”
The release also supports other features in SQL Server 2017 like temporal tables and retention tables, as well as support for connections to SQL Server instances on Linux, and Azure Active Directory authentication.
“When users upgrade to SQL Server 2017,” Jamie Wallis concludes, “they can explore all of the new features while knowing the industry-standard for comparing and deploying databases won’t let them down.”