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Microsoft Will Support Python In SQL Server 2017 (infoworld.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the winning-through-whitespace dept.

There was a surprise in the latest Community Technology Preview release of SQL Server 2017. An anonymous reader quotes InfoWorld: Python can now be used within SQL Server to perform analytics, run machine learning models, or handle most any kind of data-powered work. This integration isn't limited to enterprise editions of SQL Server 2017, either -- it'll also be available in the free-to-use Express edition... Microsoft has also made it possible to embed Python code directly in SQL Server databases by including the code as a T-SQL stored procedure. This allows Python code to be deployed in production along with the data it'll be processing. These behaviors, and the RevoScalePy package, are essentially Python versions of features Microsoft built for SQL Server back when it integrated the R language into the database...

An existing Python installation isn't required. During the setup process, SQL Server 2017 can pull down and install its own edition of CPython 3.5, the stock Python interpreter available from the Python.org website. Users can install their own Python packages as well or use Cython to generate C code from Python modules for additional speed.
Except it's not yet available for Linux users, according to the article. "Microsoft has previously announced SQL Server would be available for Linux, but right now, only the Windows version of SQL Server 2017 supports Python."

4 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. Always catching up to PostgreSQL! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    PostgreSQL has had Python support for years. It also has R support.

    But to be fair to SQL Server, it is a very good RDBMS. Both SQL Server and PostgreSQL make MySQL look really, really, really bad. Even SQLite is making MySQL look pathetic these days!

  2. a little late to the party by ooloorie · · Score: 3, Informative

    You've been able to use Python for a while in Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, and even DB2.

    I can't quite figure out why anybody would want to use Microsoft SQL Server.

    1. Re:a little late to the party by DogDude · · Score: 2, Informative

      I can't quite figure out why anybody would want to use Microsoft SQL Server.

      Easy to use. Works well. Tons of features. Free to a point. After that, inexpensive.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    2. Re:a little late to the party by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

      You're the one who is late to the party. Another comment here mentioned PostgreSQL about half an hour earlier.

      I can't quite figure out why anybody would want to use Microsoft SQL Server.

      Have you ever actually used it? If you had used it, you wouldn't be asking that question.

      You should put aside your rabid anti-Microsoft bias, too. It's clouding your judgment.

      It turns out that SQL Server is actually a remarkably well-crafted product.

      It's very reliable, it's very capable, and it's very efficient. Its query parallelization support is very well done.

      It's easy to manage.

      It comes with excellent development tools. None of the open source DBs you listed have anything that comes close to SQL Server Management Studio.

      It has great reporting capabilities.

      It's well supported by many third party tools.

      In fact, a good interview question when hiring a DBA who will work with any sort of a RDBMS is, "What do you think about SQL Server?". A good DBA will know of it, will have used it, and will have positive things to say about it.

      And before you or some other fool starts with the "You must be a Microsoft shill!" nonsense, let me tell you that I'm an Oracle and DB2 admin. I just know a good RDBMS when I see one, and SQL Server is one of the best.