With the release of , Microsoft significantly revamped SSMS, not just as a sidecar to the database engine, but as an independent, modern tool. The keyword "SQL Server Management Studio 2019 new" isn't just about compatibility—it’s about a tidal wave of quality-of-life improvements, performance boosts, and features that were previously exclusive to Azure Data Studio.
: SSMS is no longer bundled with the SQL Server installer; it must be downloaded and installed separately.
Live Query Statistics were introduced earlier, but SSMS 2019 makes them (if enabled). You can now see the actual data flow in real-time, including the number of rows flowing through each operator as the query runs —no need to wait for completion.