If you haven’t already, check out Arun Ulag’s hero blog “FabCon and SQLCon 2026: Unifying databases and Fabric on a single, complete platform” for a complete look at all of our FabCon and SQLCon announcements across both Fabric and our database offerings.
GitHub Copilot in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) now offers a few highly requested features and several bug fixes based on feedback items. Check out the full release notes to learn about the complete list of updates in the 22.4.1 release. We appreciate you taking time to file issues, share your requests, and upvote items; you’ll notice your feedback helped us shape this release, and will help us continue to evolve the GitHub Copilot in SSMS integration.
GitHub Copilot in SSMS
We introduced GitHub Copilot in a SSMS 22 preview release last fall and engaged with early adopters to understand areas for improvement as we worked toward general availability. The 22.4.1 release includes numerous fixes for GitHub Copilot, as well as improved handling of query executions that either returned no results or failed completely.We’re also introducing support for custom instructions with GitHub Copilot in SSMS for scenarios where you are not using a solution or repository. The copilot-instructions.md exists within your %USERPROFILE% folder, and each user can customize their instructions based on their use of GitHub Copilot.
Figure: Screenshot of Copilot chat window with copilot-instructions.md file included as a reference.
We’ve updated our roadmap to include details about what we’re working on next, including Agent mode. If there’s something you want to see, please make sure to create a feedback item (or upvote an existing one)!
Additional export formats when saving the results grid
We’ve added four additional formats for you to choose from when saving the results grid: Excel, JSON, XML, and Markdown. Previously the only options available were CSV and Text. This feature is one of our most voted on items in the Developer Community Thank you to those who voted, commented, and provided their perspective on this request.When returning results to grid, right-click the grid and select “Save Results As…”
Figure: Screenshot of Save Results As... on the right-click menu of the results grid in SSMS.
Open the Save as type dialog to choose your desired file format and select Save. You can also select Save with Encoding… and select from the available encodings.
Figure: Screenshot of the Save Grid Results dialog with new options available for file types, including JSON, XML, Excel and Markdown.
To save the column headers to your file, make sure that within Tools > Options > Query Results > Results to Grid, you’ve selected “Include column headers when saving or dragging from the result grid.”
Figure: Screenshot of the option Include column headers when saving or dragging from the results grid within Tools > Options.
Group objects by schema in Object Explorer
In November, we introduced group by schema support for Fabric SQL databases in SSMS. We’ve expanded that capability for other SQL offerings.To enable group by schema, find and select the icon near the top of the Object Explorer. This action reloads Object Explorer. When you expand your database objects, you’ll see objects grouped by owning schema, with tables listed under each schema node. By default, grouping by schema is disabled.
Figure: Screenshot of Object Explorer in SSMS with the new Group By Schema button. Within the AdventureWorks2025 database, the objects are grouped by their schema (e.g. Human Resources, person, etc.).
Additionally, we’ve included a new setting under Tools > Options > SQL Server Object Explorer > General to save your preferences. If you want group by schema enabled by default when viewing items in the Object Explorer, select “Group objects by Schema.” Otherwise, leave it un-checked.
Figure: Screenshot of the Group objects by Schema option Tools > Options > SQL Server Object Explorer.
SQL Projects (Preview) and what’s next
The final addition SQL Projects (Preview), which SSMS users have been requesting for years. SQL Projects deserves its own post, which you’ll find in this post on the Azure SQL Blog. We look forward to expanding support for Database DevOps in the upcoming releases of SSMS.
We have made significant progress in the first part of 2026, and there is more to deliver throughout the year. Stay tuned for more and remember to create a feedback item (or upvote an existing one) to let us know what you’d like to see.