Chrissy LeMaire talks about the 25 new cmdlets in SQL Server’s Powershell module:
One of the best things about these cmdlets is that it makes failed jobs a whole lot easier to find. Note that SQL Server Management Studio 2016 does not have to be installed on the server — only your workstation. That’s because the cmdlet is built on top of SMO which is available in all versions of SQL Server since 2000.
As an aside, you may be wondering what a cmdlet is, and what’s the difference between a cmdlet and what you and I write. A cmdlet is a formally written PowerShell command that’s written in C#. I’ve never written one in my life. Instead, I write Functions. They’re both essentially the same, but a cmdlet is fancier on the back end.
Powershell is the present (not the future) for administration, so it’s nice to see the SQL Server team pushing themselves a bit when it comes to cmdlets. They’ve a long way to go, but this is a nice step.