With each version of SQL Server the list of new features grows and keeping pace with them as a DBA can be a challenge.
As an example, the addition of new columns in sys.databases since SQL Server 2005 has been slowly climbing:
| SQL Server 2008/R2 |
| is_cdc_enabled |
| is_encrypted |
| is_honor_broker_priority_on |
| SQL Server 2012 |
| replica_id |
| group_database_id |
| default_language_lcid |
| default_language_name |
| default_fulltext_language_lcid |
| default_fulltext_language_name |
| is_nested_triggers_on |
| is_transform_noise_words_on |
| two_digit_year_cutoff |
| containment |
| containment_desc |
| target_recovery_time_in_seconds |
| SQL Server 2014 |
| is_auto_create_stats_incremental_on |
| is_query_store_on |
| resource_pool_id |
| delayed_durability |
| delayed_durability_desc |
| is_memory_optimized_elevate_to_snapshot_on |
| SQL Server 2016 |
| is_federation_member |
| is_remote_data_archive_enabled |
| is_mixed_page_allocation_on |
| SQL Server vNext (CTP 1.3) |
| is_temporal_history_retention_enabled |