SSMS 22.7.0 changes

The headline changes are SQL formatting preview, schema compare preview, GitHub Copilot Agent Mode preview, database-level Copilot execution context, and more Database DevOps work.

Microsoft also added a small in-product What's New page, support for creating a Windows account on Azure SQL Managed Instance, Microsoft.Data.SqlClient 6.1.5, and the Visual Studio 18.7.0 shell update.

SSMS 22.7.1 is now the current SSMS 22 build. It is a follow-up fix for large scripts in the query editor, not a second feature release.

Three items deserve a quick test before broad use: SQL formatting, schema compare, and Copilot Agent Mode. They are useful changes, but they touch code layout, deployment comparison, and query execution.

The rest is more straightforward: Database DevOps improvements, connection and Object Explorer fixes, results grid export fixes, dependency updates, and the 22.7.1 query editor fix.

The formatter is available from the right-click menu in a T-SQL editor window. It can handle keyword casing, indentation, semicolons, clause breaks, alignment, and multi-line lists.

Before using it on shared scripts, try it on code people actually maintain: a stored procedure, a deployment script, and a report query. If the result is harder to review, leave it off for now.

Formatting can make review easier. It does not check the query, the plan, the locking behavior, or whether the script belongs in a release.

Schema compare can compare databases, SQL projects, and .dacpac files. It is useful when a live database may have drifted from the project or deployment package.

Saved .scmp files can store source and target connections, comparison options, and excluded object types. That makes repeat comparisons less manual.

Treat the output as a review list. Check drops, permissions, indexes, vendor objects, replication objects, and hand-applied changes before generating or applying anything from the comparison.

Agent Mode is a preview for GitHub Copilot in SSMS. It can work through multi-step prompts, use the local SQL tools integration, and ask for approval before running queries or commands.

Microsoft's security wording is worth keeping plain: approval prompts are not the security boundary. SQL Server permissions are the boundary. By default, Agent Mode is configured as READ_ONLY.

SSMS 22.7.0 also adds database-level execution context through CONSTITUTION.md. The important setting is agentExecuteAsUser, which can make Copilot use a specific database user or SQL login.

Use a low-privilege account if you configure it. Do not point Copilot at sa, dbo, or a broad admin login just because it is convenient.

The Database DevOps workload keeps moving toward normal SQL project work inside SSMS. Version 22.7.0 adds target database platform selection in the new SQL project dialog, Create project from database in Solution Explorer, SQLCMD variable support in the Publish dialog, and a refreshed SQL project Properties editor.

This matters most for DBAs and database developers already using SQL projects, source control, and repeatable publish settings. If your database changes are still manual scripts and shared folders, this is probably not the first feature you will test.

SSMS 22.7.1 is a small follow-up release, but the fix is not trivial if you work with large scripts. It addresses excessive query editor memory use, hangs, and related performance issues.

The 22.7.0 fixes are mostly daily-use rough edges: startup connection behavior, Activity Monitor, Object Explorer rename warnings, Copilot model selection, result-grid export, and settings noise.

Use Microsoft's SSMS install page for the current SSMS 22 installer, or use the SSMS downloads reference here for the local version table.

SSMS 22 setup uses vs_SSMS.exe and Visual Studio Installer. Microsoft documents that SSMS 22 can be installed side by side with other SSMS versions.