SQL Server 2022 acts as the modern successor, serving as the most "Azure-enabled" release to date.
It automates performance tuning and query acceleration without requiring manual code changes. The Path Forward: Upgrading microsoft-sql-server-2016-full-version-2022
While the Enterprise Edition offers the full suite of features for production, the Developer Edition provides all those same features for free in non-production environments. SQL Server 2022 acts as the modern successor,
An in-place upgrade from SQL Server 2016 to 2022 generally requires the 2016 instance to be running at least Service Pack 3 (SP3) ; lower service packs like SP1 are not supported for direct upgrades. microsoft-sql-server-2016-full-version-2022
When SQL Server 2016 was released, it introduced "breakthrough" mission-critical capabilities designed to protect data both at rest and in motion.