New and enhanced functions and expressions

SQL Server 2016 introduces several new functions that can help developers to be more productive and efficient. Additionally, by removing limitations in some existing functions, their scope of usage has been enlarged. Now, SQL Server contains more than 300 built-in functions. Here is the list of new or changed functions and expressions in SQL Server 2016:

• Two new string functions STRING_SPLIT and STRING_ESCAPE

• New date function and new expression DATEFDIFF_BIG and AT TIME ZONE

• Four new system functions COMPRESS, DECOMPRESS, SESSION_CONTEXT, and CURRENT_TRANSACTION_ID

• Enhancements in the cryptographic function HASHBYTES

• Four JSON-related functions ISSJON, JSON_VALUE, JSON_QUERY, JSON_MODIFY, and one new rowset function OPENJSON

STRING_SPLIT

Since SQL Server does not support arrays, when multiple values need to be send to it, developers use a list of values (usually comma-separated ones).

SQL Server 2008 introduced an excellent feature called Table-Valued...