Announcing SQL Server Management Studio - October 2015 Release

Today, we are very pleased to announce the latest preview of SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). This release includes all updates includes in the September release, and features a new modern installer, a new Always Encrypted column encryption wizard, a new Stretch database wizard, numerous bug fixes, and more.

Download:

The SSMS October preview release is now  available for download here.  

* The version number of the latest preview is: 13.0.700.242

New in this release:

1. New modernized lightweight web installer that simplifies the SSMS download and install process.

2. New Always Encrypted column encryption wizard that enables client-side encryption and decryption of selected columns. The new wizard includes support for creating new column encryption keys and column master keys that are stored in either a Windows certificate store or in an Azure Key Vault. Learn more about Always Encrypted databases here.

3. New Column Master Key (CMK) rotation dialog for Always Encrypted databases that simplifies the process of rotating encryption keys to keep data secure.

      

4. New stretch database monitor that allows you to troubleshoot and monitor the migration status of data to the Azure cloud. Learn more about the Stretch database feature here.

5. Improvements to the Stretch database wizard to support choosing a Microsoft Azure server that is not in the default Microsoft Azure subscription.

6. Bug fixes for live execution query plans, scripting of database snapshots, and the resource consumption grid of the Query Data Store user interface.

 

Please visit the SSMS download page for additional details including Microsoft connect IDs for issues that were fixed.

 

Known Issues

The list of known issues is available in Release notes available here.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or feedback, please visit our forum or Microsoft Connect page. We are fully committed to improve the SSMS experience and look forward to hearing from you!