SQL Server 2012 is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft. Released in April 2012, it brought a number of new features and enhancements compared to its predecessor, SQL Server 2008.One of the key features of SQL Server 2012 is AlwaysOn Availability Groups, which provides high availability and disaster recovery capabilities by allowing multiple copies of a database to be synchronized across different servers. This feature helps improve the reliability and performance of databases in case of system failures or disasters.Another important feature introduced in SQL Server 2012 is columnstore indexes, which allow for faster query performance on large tables by storing data in a column-wise format rather than the traditional row-wise format. This can significantly improve the speed of analytical queries on data warehouses and large datasets.SQL Server 2012 also introduced a new version of SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) which provides a unified development environment for database administrators and developers to design, develop, and deploy databases and data-driven applications.In addition, SQL Server 2012 includes enhancements to the BI capabilities of the platform, with features such as Power View, a data visualization tool that allows users to create interactive, graphical reports based on their data, and PowerPivot for Excel, which enables users to create sophisticated data models and analyses within Excel.Overall, SQL Server 2012 brought a number of new features and improvements to the platform, making it a more powerful and efficient database management system for organizations of all sizes.
