SQL with Manoj

 
So now as SQL Server 2016 is released (on 1-June-2016) and is in market for few days, so Microsoft team has released a new Sample Database “WideWorldImporters” specially for learning and working with new features of SQL Server 2016 and Azure SQL Database.
 

Till now AdventureWorks was quiet popular Sample Database since SQL Server 2005 to SQL Server 2014, and still will be. And prior to this we had Northwind and Pubs sample databases to work with SQL Server 2000 version.
 

–> WideWorldImporters:

You can download both the OLTP and OLAP (DW/BI) databases from this GitHub link.

1. WideWorldImporters (OLTP): contains sample tables for OnLine Transaction Processing (OLTP) workloads, as well as Real-time Operation Analytics.

2. WideWorldImportersDW (OLAP, DW/BI): contains sample tables for OnLine Analytical Processing (OLAP) workloads, in Dimensional Model, like Fact and Dimension tables.

3. For Azure SQL Database: you can download the bacpac for both the editions OLTP/OLAP.
 

–> These Sample Databases are designed in such a way that these can be used to check and evaluate the new Features of SQL Server 2016, like:

1. Temporal Database and Tables

2. Native JSON support

3. ColumnStore Index

4. In-Memory OLTP

5. Row Level Security, Dynamic Data Masking and Always Encrypted

6. Partitioning

7. Query Store

8. Polybase
 

–> The MSDN Documentation of these sample databases provides you more information on:

1. Installation and Configuration

2. The Database Catalog

3. Use of SQL Server features and capabilities (mentioned in above points)

4. Some Sample Queries (zip file)
 

–> After Downloading and Restoring the sample tables looks like this in Object Explorer: