For the longest time, SQL Server has run solely on the Windows operating system. This was a major roadblock for adoption in traditionally Unix/Linux based companies that used alternative RDBM systems instead. Containers have been around in IT for over a decade and have made a major impression in the application development world. The ability to now host SQL Server in a container provides developers with the ability to adopt the development and deployment methodologies associated with containers into database development. A second major breakthrough (and surprise) around SQL Server 2017 was the announcement of SQL Server being ported to Linux. The IT world was shocked at this revelation and what it meant for the other RDBM systems on the market. There is practically no other system with the same feature-set and support network available at the same price point. As such, SQL Server on Linux will open a new market and allow for growth in previously unreachable areas of the IT world.

This concludes the section outlining the engine features. Through Microsoft's heavy move into cloud computing and their Azure offerings, they have had increased need to improve their internal systems for themselves. Microsoft has been famous for their dogfooding approach of using their own software to run their own business and Azure is arguably their largest foray into this area. The main improvements in the database engine have been fueled by the need to improve their own ability to continue offering Azure database solutions at a scale, and provide features to allow databases of differing sizes and loads to be hosted together.