Azure Updates - Latest from Azure Charts

Azure SQL as a knowledge source in Foundry IQ

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 19:30:58 Z

Microsoft Foundry adds Azure SQL Database as a first-class Knowledge Source in Azure AI Search, available in public preview. Enterprise developers and solution architects building Copilot, RAG, and agentic experiences can now expose authoritative tables a
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure AI Services, Microsoft Foundry, Azure AI Search, SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for early-June

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:15:55 Z

In early June 2026, the following update and enhancement was made to Azure SQL: Now you can use AES 256 symmetric keys to configure transparent data encryption (TDE) with customer-managed keys in Azure SQL Database. Learn more.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for June

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:00:47 Z

In June 2026, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Execute SQL queries, document with Markdown, and mix kernels like Python using SQL Notebooks in the MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code. Learn more.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

GitHub Copilot integration in Schema Designer for the MSSQL extension

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:00:47 Z

The GitHub Copilot integration with Schema Designer is now generally available in the MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code, expanding the visual schema design experience with AI-assisted capabilities. Based on developer feedback and evolving workflows,
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Data API builder with built-in GitHub Copilot in MSSQL extension

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:00:47 Z

The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code now offers data API builder with built-in GitHub Copilot integration as generally available, bringing guided back-end generation into your development workflow. You can generate REST, GraphQL, and Model Context P
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL Database provisioning in the MSSQL extension

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:00:47 Z

The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code now introduces Azure SQL Database provisioning in public preview, starting with the free tier so you can create and connect to a fully managed cloud database directly from your editor at no cost. With a guided wi
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL update for early-May 2026

Wed, 06 May 2026 23:00:22 Z

In early May 2026, the following update and enhancement was made to Azure SQL: Right‑size memory for Business Critical Azure SQL Managed Instance to improve performance without overprovisioning. Learn more.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Announcing Full Collation Support for SQL Databases in Microsoft Fabric

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:51:08 Z

We heard from you and are introducing a major update for SQL database in Microsoft Fabric. Now, you can use all Azure SQL database collations when creating databases. This enhancement gives SQL database in Fabric users greater flexibility and compatibility for global data scenarios, reporting, and app development—no matter your language or regional requirements. What … Continue reading “Announcing Full Collation Support for SQL Databases in Microsoft Fabric (Preview)”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL Managed Instance as an AI‑Enabled PaaS Platform

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 02:42:00 Z

AI Capabilities Built into Azure SQL Managed Instance Azure SQL MI includes multiple intelligence layers by default: Intelligent Insights for anomaly detection Automatic tuning (recommend mod...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL Managed Instance as an AI-Enabled PaaS Platform

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 02:42:00 Z

Migrating Azure SQL Database Across Tenants Using Subscription Transfer

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:01:00 Z

Moving an Azure subscription between Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) tenants is a common requirement during: Mergers and acquisitions Organizational restructuring Enterpr...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Microsoft Entra ID, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for late-March 2026

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:00:10 Z

In late-March 2026, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Configure built-in SQL code analysis rules and severity settings without editing project XML. Use Fabric connectivity and provisioning options to connect wi
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Customer-managed keys (CMK) in Fabric SQL Database

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:00:00 Z

Customer-managed keys (CMK) in Fabric SQL Database is a major step forward in empowering organizations to take control of their data security and compliance.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Compliance, Security

Azure SQL Managed Instance change event streaming

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 17:30:45 Z

You can now stream row‑level data changes—inserts, updates, and deletes—from Azure SQL Managed Instance to Azure Event Hubs in near real time with change event streaming (CES). SQL publishes changes as transactions commit, reducing latency while minimizin
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Event Hubs, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for mid-March 2026

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:15:35 Z

In mid-March 2026, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Reduce the consumption of storage space, I/O, and memory and improve performance without investing time and effort into index maintenance jobs. Configure
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure AI Services, SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Elastic query - Shard_Map_Manager mode

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:00:50 Z

Starting March 31, 2027 Elastic query using Shard_Map_Manager external data source type reaches end of support.Existing workloads can continue to run using Azure SQL Elastic query - Shard_Map_Manager mode, but will no longer receive updates or support fro
Update Type: Deprecation, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Retirements

Azure SQL updates for mid-March 2026

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:30:05 Z

In mid-March 2026, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Publish SQL database projects directly from Visual Studio Code to streamline database deployment workflows. View and edit SQL table data directly in the MSSQ
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

GitHub Copilot integration in Schema Designer for the MSSQL extension

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:15:04 Z

The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code now introduces GitHub Copilot integration in Schema Designer, expanding the visual schema design experience with AI-assisted capabilities. Based on developer feedback and evolving workflows, you can now understan
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Database DevOps in SSMS powered by SQL projects

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:15:04 Z

Bring the benefits of schema-as-code to your database development workflow. SQL database projects enable you to source control your database schema, perform reliable deployments to any environment, and integrate code quality checks into your development p
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

SQL MCP Server

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:15:04 Z

Announcing SQL MCP Server, our Model Context Protocol (MCP) connector for production databases. SQL MCP Server is a feature rich component of data API builder (DAB) that gives you a simple, predictable, secure way to bring AI agents into your data workflo
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Versionless key support for transparent data encryption in Azure SQL Database

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:00:05 Z

Azure SQL Database now supports versionless keys for transparent data encryption (TDE), giving you a simpler and more reliable way to manage your own encryption keys. You no longer need to reference a specific key version from Azure Key Vault or Managed H
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Azure Key Vault, Categories: Features

Data API builder with built-in GitHub Copilot in MSSQL extension

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:00:05 Z

The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code now introduces Data API builder in public preview with built-in GitHub Copilot integration, bringing a guided back-end generation experience directly into your development workflow. You can generate REST, GraphQL
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Announcing Preview of 160 and 192vCore Premium-series Options for Azure SQL Database Hyperscale

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 11:53:00 Z

We are excited to announce the public preview of 160 and 192vCore compute sizes for Premium-series hardware configuration in Azure SQL Database Hyperscale. Since the introduction of Pre...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Versionless keys for Transparent Data Encryption in Azure SQL Database (Generally Available)

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 06:23:00 Z

With this release, you no longer need to reference a specific key version stored in Azure Key Vault or Managed HSM when configuring Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with customer‑managed keys. Inste...
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Azure Key Vault, Categories:

Query Profiler in MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 17:45:49 Z

The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code now introduces Query Profiler in public preview, bringing real-time insight into your database activity directly inside Visual Studio Code. With Query Profiler, you can capture query and database activity as it h
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Managed Identity Support for Azure SQL Database Import & Export services (preview)

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 09:05:00 Z

Today we’re announcing a public preview that lets Azure SQL Database Import & Export services authenticate with user-assigned managed identity. Now Azure SQL Databases can perform import and export o...
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

GA of update policy SQL Server 2025 for Azure SQL Managed Instance

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 22:54:00 Z

We’re happy to announce that the update policy SQL Server 2025 for Azure SQL Managed Instance is now generally available (GA). SQL Server 2025 update policy contains all the latest SQL engine innovat...
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for late-February 2026

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 19:00:32 Z

In late-February 2026, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Introducing Search Database Objects in the MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code. Instantly find tables, views, functions, and procedures with full scripti
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for late-February 2026

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:45:40 Z

In late-February 2026, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Manage your databases directly from the dialog using actions such as Name, Rename, and Drop. Import a flat file to your database in the MSSQL Extension fo
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for mid-February 2026

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 23:15:55 Z

In mid-February 2026, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL:Simplify SQL deployments from Visual Studio Code using the new SQL Projects Publish dialog.Connections Migration dialog enables you to import your existing workflows and c
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

2025 Year in Review: What’s new across SQL Server, Azure SQL and SQL database in Fabric

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 07:00:00 Z

What a year 2025 has been for SQL! ICYMI and are looking for some hype, might I recommend you start with this blog from Priya Sathy, the product leader for all of SQL at Microsoft: One consistent SQL: The launchpad from legacy to innovation. In this blog post, Priya explains how we have developed and … Continue reading “2025 Year in Review: What’s new across SQL Server, Azure SQL and SQL database in Fabric”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Generally Avaailable: Azure SQL updates for early December 2025

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 18:30:05 Z

In mid-December 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Identify causes that auto-resume serverless workloads using Activity Log in Azure SQL Database to troubleshoot and optimize access patterns. Learn more.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Windows Authentication for Cloud-Native Identities: Modernizing Azure SQL Managed Instance (Preview)

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 07:26:00 Z

Organizations moving to the cloud often face a critical challenge: maintaining seamless authentication for legacy applications without compromising security or user experience. Today, we’re excited t...
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Regex support in T-SQL

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:00:10 Z

Boost your SQL queries with powerful regular expressions (regex) support for advanced pattern matching. Now you can use native regex in T-SQL directly in Azure SQL and SQL Server 2025 queries—simplifying code, improving maintainability, and reducing depen
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

OPENROWSET and External Tables for Fabric SQL Databases

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:00:00 Z

Data Virtualization (Preview) for Fabric SQL Databases, enable you to query, analyze, and ingest OneLake data (CSV, Parquet, JSON) without moving or duplicating it. Data Virtualization brings to Fabric SQL Database the same set of capabilities already available on Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance and SQL Server, customers can now use OPENROWSET and … Continue reading “OPENROWSET and External Tables for Fabric SQL Databases (Preview)”
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL Database LTR Backup Immutability is now Generally Available

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 10:33:00 Z

Azure SQL Database is a fully managed, always‑up‑to‑date relational database service built for mission‑critical apps. It delivers built‑in high availability, automated backups, and elastic scale, wit...
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Customer-managed keys in Fabric SQL Database

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 08:00:00 Z

Customer-managed keys in Fabric SQL Database – a major step forward in empowering organizations to take control of their data security and compliance. Why customer-managed keys matter Microsoft Fabric already encrypts all data-at-rest using Microsoft-managed keys. But for organizations with strict data governance policies or regulatory requirements, CMK offers an additional layer of control and … Continue reading “Customer-managed keys in Fabric SQL Database (Preview)”
Update Type: Preview, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories: Compliance, Security

Announcing Public Preview: Auditing for Fabric SQL Database

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:33:00 Z

We’re excited to announce the public preview of Auditing for Fabric SQL Database—a powerful feature designed to help organizations strengthen security, ensure compliance, and gain deep operational in...
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL change event streaming

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:01:02 Z

You can now stream data changes in near real time from Azure SQL Database directly into Azure Event Hubs. With the public preview of change event streaming (CES), you can streamline data integration and support enhanced analytics, event-driven architectur
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Event Hubs, Categories:

Azure SQL Managed Instance Next-gen General Purpose service tier

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:01:02 Z

The Next‑gen General Purpose tier delivers a major performance boost while preserving the cost advantages you expect. You get more power and compute flexibility without sacrificing the simplicity of a fully managed platform as a service (PaaS) experience.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Services

Azure SQL Database DiskANN vector indexing

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:01:02 Z

Announcing the public preview of vector indexing using DiskANN in Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance and SQL database in Microsoft Fabric. DiskANN is an algorithm for efficient vector similarity search, making it ideal for product recommendati
Update Type: Preview, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories:

MSSQL extension integration with GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:01:02 Z

The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code now integrates GitHub Copilot, bringing AI-powered SQL assistance directly into your development workflow. Together, they help you reduce repetitive tasks, accelerate development, and design database schemas and
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL Database long-term retention (LTR) backup immutability

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:01:02 Z

You can now configure immutability for Azure SQL Database LTR backups to meet compliance and regulatory needs. Once immutability is configured, the backups can’t be edited or deleted until the specified retention expires, mitigating any potential ransomwa
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Microsoft Python driver for SQL Server

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:01:02 Z

Announcing that the mssql-python driver is now generally available. This milestone marks a major step forward in delivering a modern, high-performance, and developer-friendly experience for Python developers working with SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, an
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for November 2025

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:01:02 Z

In November 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Apply the reservation discount for a 1-year or 3-year reservation of a zone-redundant Azure SQL Managed Instance in the General Purpose tier to both the standard compute and
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for November 2025

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:01:02 Z

In November 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: View, modify, insert rows in a table without manually writing T-SQL code using the interactive Edit Data interface in the MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code. Learn more.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Generally Available: Azure SQL Managed Instance Next-gen General Purpose

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:27:00 Z

Overview Next-gen General Purpose is the evolution of General Purpose service tier that brings significantly improved performance and scalability to power up your existing Azure SQL Managed Instanc...
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

General Availability Announcement: Regex Support in SQL Server 2025 & Azure SQL

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:05:00 Z

We’re excited to announce the General Availability (GA) of native Regex support in SQL Server 2025 and Azure SQL — a long-awaited capability that brings powerful pattern matching directly into T-SQL....
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

General Availability Announcement: Regex Support in SQL Server 2025 & Azure SQL

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 18:03:00 Z

Azure SQL updates for early November 2025

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 15:45:17 Z

In early November 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Azure SQL Hyperscale now supports multiple geo-secondary replicas, making it easier to design and deploy disaster recovery topology spanning multiple regions. Learn mo
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for mid-October 2025

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 16:30:07 Z

In mid-October 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Improve the redirect connection type to require only port 1433 and promote to default. Learn more. Convert Azure SQL Database to Hyperscale while preserving existing geo
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Multiple geo-replicas for Azure SQL Hyperscale is now in public preview

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:50:00 Z

Active geo-replication for Azure SQL is a business continuity solution that lets you perform quick disaster recovery of individual databases if there is a regional disaster or a large-scale outage. ...
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Extending Point-in-Time Retention in Fabric SQL DB: From 7 to 35 Days

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 11:00:00 Z

In today’s data-driven world, resilience and recoverability are no longer optional—they’re foundational. Microsoft Fabric continues to evolve as a unified data platform, and one of its most impactful enhancements is the ability to extend point-in-time restore (PITR) retention for Fabric SQL databases from the default 7 days to up to 35 days. This feature empowers … Continue reading “Extending Point-in-Time Retention in Fabric SQL DB: From 7 to 35 Days”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories:

MSSQL extension integration with Microsoft Fabric

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:30:57 Z

The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code (VS Code) now brings SQL database in Fabric directly into your development workflow. With the new Fabric connectivity option in the Connection Dialog, you can sign in using Microsoft Entra ID, browse your Fabric
Update Type: Preview, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Microsoft Entra ID, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for late September 2025

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 16:00:52 Z

In late September 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Protection from ransomware attacks to long-term retention (LTR) backups via immutability. Learn more.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Memory consumption metrics in Fabric SQL Database

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:00:00 Z

Overview SQL Database in Fabric continues its commitment to providing you with robust tools for database management, performance monitoring, and optimization. Earlier this year, we released a performance dashboard to help you monitor and improve the performance of your SQL Database in Fabric. We’ve improved upon those performance monitoring capabilities with the ability to track … Continue reading “Memory consumption metrics in Fabric SQL Database”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Management

🔐 Public Preview: Backup Immutability for Azure SQL Database LTR Backups

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 20:54:00 Z

The Ransomware Threat Landscape Ransomware attacks have become one of the most disruptive cybersecurity threats in recent years. These attacks typically follow a destructive pattern: Attacker...
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Fabric Mirroring for Azure SQL Managed Instance

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 11:00:00 Z

This milestone of Mirroring for Azure SQL Managed Instance in Fabric marks a significant step forward in our mission to provide seamless, near real-time data replication and integration capabilities for our users. What is Mirroring in Fabric? Mirroring in Fabric is a powerful feature that allows you to replicate data from various data sources such … Continue reading “Fabric Mirroring for Azure SQL Managed Instance (Generally Available)”
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Introducing new update policy for Azure SQL Managed Instance

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 21:50:00 Z

We’re excited to introduce the new update policy SQL Server 2025 for Azure SQL Managed Instance. Now in preview, SQL Server 2025 update policy brings you the latest SQL engine innovation while retain...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL hub experience in Azure portal

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:30:18 Z

Choosing the right Azure SQL service can be challenging. To make this easier, you can now visit the Azure SQL hub, a new home for everything related to Azure SQL in the Azure portal. Whether you’re new to Azure SQL or an experienced user, the hub helps yo
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Introducing the Azure SQL hub: A simpler, guided entry into Azure SQL

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:08:00 Z

Choosing the right Azure SQL service can be challenging. To make this easier, we built the Azure SQL hub, a new home for everything related to Azure SQL in the Azure portal. Whether you’re new to A...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for late-August 2025

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:45:15 Z

In late August 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL and SQL Server: Easily spin up local SQL Server containers. Now generally available, the local SQL Server container enables container creation in the MSSQL extension for V
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Azure Arc, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for late-August 2025

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 16:00:53 Z

In late August 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Azure SQL Database now offers a replication lag metric, providing real-time visibility into the recovery point objective (RPO) when Geo-DR is enabled. Learn more.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Replication lag metric for Azure SQL DB is now in public preview

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 Z

Azure SQL Database offers business continuity capabilities to recover quickly from regional disasters. Features such as active geo-replication and failover groups provide continuous replication of t...
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for late-July 2025

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 17:00:36 Z

In late-July, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Use the UNISTR intrinsic function to define Unicode string literals using Unicode encoding values in a string. Use the ANSI SQL concatenation operator (||) to concatenate charac
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Announcing General Availability of UNISTR function and ANSI SQL || Operator in Azure SQL

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:07:00 Z

We’re excited to announce the General Availability (GA) of two long-standing capabilities that address critical needs for SQL developers and enterprise customers in Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL M...
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

AI Ready Apps: From RAG to Chat – Interacting with SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric using GraphQL and MCP

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 09:00:00 Z

In the current digital environment, applications are expected to offer more than basic functionality, they must demonstrate intelligence, adaptability, and provide seamless user experiences. To remain competitive, organizations increasingly recognize that effective data utilization is fundamental to driving innovation. Data powers real-time insights and supports advanced agentic AI systems capable of reasoning, acting, and learning. … Continue reading “AI Ready Apps: From RAG to Chat – Interacting with SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric using GraphQL and MCP”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure AI Services, Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for early-July 2025

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 17:45:14 Z

In early-July 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Convert Azure SQL database to Hyperscale while keeping existing active geo-replication or failover group configurations. Learn more. Try the mssql-python driver with new pl
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for early-July 2025

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 17:15:42 Z

In early-July 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Enhanced server audit for Azure SQL Database boosts performance, availability, and reliability. Learn more. Server audit action groups are now available to achieve compli
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Announcing General Availability of Enhanced Server Audit for Azure SQL Database

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:29:00 Z

We’re excited to announce the general availability of the enhanced server audit feature for Azure SQL Database, now deployed globally. This update delivers improved performance, availability, and rel...
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

New vector data type and functions in Azure SQL

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 16:30:49 Z

Azure SQL now supports vector data types for efficient storage, querying of embeddings, and semantic search, making it an ideal database for AI. Now you can integrate advanced AI capabilities into your applications, resulting in smarter and more responsiv
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Managed Instance faster management operations

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 18:00:12 Z

You can now create and update your Azure SQL Managed Instance with improved speed and precision. The new faster management operations experience enhances elasticity by enabling you to provision any configuration of your instance in under 30 minutes—whethe
Update Type: GA, Services: Virtual Machines, SQL Database, Categories: Features, Management

Azure SQL updates for mid-June 2025

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 18:00:12 Z

In mid-June 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL:Increase the resiliency of your General Purpose Azure SQL Managed Instance using zone redundancy. Improve your operational efficiency with faster management operations of Azur
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for mid-June 2025

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 18:00:12 Z

In mid-June 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL:Data virtualization for Azure SQL Database empowers you to harness the full potential of SQL to query CSV, Parquet, and Delta Lake files stored in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
Update Type: Preview, Services: Data Lake Storage, SQL Database, Azure Storage, Categories: Features

Customizing RAM per vCore with additional memory

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 18:00:12 Z

A new customizable memory option helps you optimize costs in Azure SQL Managed Instance. Now you can independently configure RAM from the vCores, helping you to save on compute and licensing costs. Previously, increasing memory meant adding more vCores—a
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview - Data Virtualization for Azure SQL Database

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 16:01:00 Z

Data virtualization, now in public preview in Azure SQL Database, enables you to leverage all the power of Transact-SQL (T-SQL) and seamlessly query external data from Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 or...
Update Type: Preview, Services: Data Lake Storage, SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for mid-May 2025

Wed, 21 May 2025 17:00:13 Z

In mid-May 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code introduces Schema Designer—an intuitive, visual interface to create, edit, and manage database tables, relationships, and constrain
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Improved free Azure SQL Managed Instance offer

Wed, 21 May 2025 16:00:03 Z

Azure SQL Managed Instance is a scalable cloud database service that's always running on the latest stable version of the Microsoft SQL Server database engine. You get an updated operating system with 99.99% high availability and close to 100% feature com
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

JSON Index

Mon, 19 May 2025 23:00:56 Z

In mid-May 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL:New JSON index can be used to index JSON documents stored in a column of JSON type. JSON index allows for efficient searching of JSON documents using JSON functions and relatio
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

MSSQL Extension Integrates GitHub Copilot in VS Code

Mon, 19 May 2025 23:00:56 Z

The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code now works with GitHub Copilot, bringing AI-powered SQL assistance directly into your development workflow. This integration enables you to work with your database schema using GitHub Copilot. With just a few clic
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for mid-May 2025

Mon, 19 May 2025 21:45:03 Z

In mid-May 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Experience faster failovers with continuous priming and enhanced data ingestion with a 150 MiB/s log generation rate, now available in Azure SQL Database Hyperscale.Streamlin
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

New features in Mirroring for Azure SQL Managed Instance – private endpoint support and more

Mon, 19 May 2025 13:00:00 Z

Mirroring in Microsoft Fabric allows you to seamlessly reflect your existing data estate from Azure SQL Managed Instance into OneLake. The mirrored data is automatically kept up to date in near real-time, enabling advanced analytics and reporting to generate essential business insights. Since our preview announcement of Mirroring for Azure SQL Managed Instance, we have listened … Continue reading “New features in Mirroring for Azure SQL Managed Instance – private endpoint support and more”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Database Hyperscale - Enhanced Performance Features Are Now Generally Available!

Mon, 19 May 2025 02:23:00 Z

We are thrilled to announce that the performance enhancement features previously available as a limited public preview for Azure SQL Database Hyperscale are now Generally Available (GA)! These enhanc...
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for late-April 2025

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 16:00:32 Z

In late-April 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: The MSSQL extension for VS Code now includes Schema Compare in its April release—making it easier to compare database schemas, identify differences, and apply updates acros
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Fabric SQL Database Integration: Unlocking New Possibilities with Power BI desktop

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 09:00:00 Z

Introducing Seamless Connectivity for Enhanced Data Analytics and Reporting. We are thrilled to announce a new SQL database integration with Power BI Desktop! This innovative feature is designed to empower users with streamlined access to their SQL databases, providing greater flexibility and precision for building insightful reports and dashboards. With this integration, users can now … Continue reading “Fabric SQL Database Integration: Unlocking New Possibilities with Power BI desktop”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Power BI Embedded, SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for mid-April 2025

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 16:30:16 Z

In mid-April 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Read-access geo-zone redundant storage (RA-GZRS) as a backup storage type is now generally available for non-hyperscale service tiers. Pricing for RA-GZRS is now the same as
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Stream data changes from Azure SQL Managed Instance and Azure SQL Database – private preview of CES

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 09:45:00 Z

We’re excited to share that Change Event Streaming (CES) - the capability to stream data changes directly from your SQL into Azure Event Hubs - is now also available in private preview for Azure SQL ...
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Event Hubs, Categories:

Announcing General Availability of Azure SQL Database Capabilities for Microsoft Copilot in Azure

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 18:30:00 Z

This week, the Azure Infrastructure team announced the General Availability (GA) of Copilot in Azure. We’re excited to share that Copilot in Azure includes capabilities for Azure SQL Database that he...
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Copilot in Azure, Categories:

Connect Azure SQL Server via System Assigned Managed Identity under ASP.NET

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 16:50:00 Z

Azure SQL Updates for Early-April 2025

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 16:00:07 Z

In early-April 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Convert existing databases in Azure SQL Database to Hyperscale with improved progress reporting and explicit cutover control. Learn more.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

AI Ready Apps: build RAG Data pipeline from Azure Blob Storage to SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric within minutes

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:55:00 Z

Microsoft Fabric is a unified, secure, and user-friendly data platform equipped with features necessary for developing enterprise-grade applications with minimal or no coding required. Last year, the platform was enhanced by introducing SQL Database in Fabric, facilitating AI application development within Microsoft Fabric. In a previous blog post, we discussed how to build a chatbot … Continue reading “AI Ready Apps: build RAG Data pipeline from Azure Blob Storage to SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric within minutes”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure AI Services, Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Azure Storage, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Database FSV2-Series Offer

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 16:30:54 Z

You’re receiving this notification because you're associated with one or more Azure subscriptions that use Azure SQL Database using FSV2 offer. In 2020, we launched FSV2-series as a hardware choice Azure SQL Database, and we’ve been monitoring customer ad
Update Type: Deprecation, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Retirements

Azure SQL Updates for Mid-March 2025

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 18:45:01 Z

In mid-March 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: The Microsoft.Build.Sql project SDK brings cross-platform support and improved package references to SQL projects, enabling you to efficiently collaborate during database d
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Updates for Late-February

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:00:16 Z

In late-February 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Elevate your SQL queries with new T-SQL features: regular expressions (regex), fuzzy string-matching, and bigint support in DATEADD. Learn more.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Updates for Late-February

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:00:16 Z

In late-February 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Monitor database availability for Azure SQL Database using the SLA-compliant Availability metric. Learn more. Use of native Windows principals for Azure SQL Managed In
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Native Windows principals for Azure SQL Managed Instance are now generally available

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 14:53:00 Z

Today we’re announcing the general availability for Native Windows Principals for Azure SQL Managed Instance. This capability simplifies the migration to Azure SQL Managed Instance and unblock the mi...
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL Updates for Mid-February 2025

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:38 Z

In mid-February 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Convert Azure SQL databases to Hyperscale with improved progress reporting and explicit cutover control. Learn more.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Transition from Azure Data Studio to Visual Studio Code

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 19:30:07 Z

Azure Data Studio (ADS) will be officially retired on February 28, 2026, to streamline development efforts and improve the user experience in Visual Studio Code (VS Code). VS Code will become the recommended cross-platform tool for developers building bac
Update Type: Deprecation, Services: Virtual Machines, Cosmos DB, SQL Database, Database for PostgreSQL, Categories: Retirements

Introducing the Enhanced Azure SQL Database Free Offer: Now Generally Available

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 22:38:00 Z

Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL Database free offer

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 22:00:34 Z

Try 10 Azure SQL Databases free of charge for the life of your subscription. With just a couple of clicks, you can power the application you want to build. This new offer provides 10 databases, each with 32 GB General Purpose, serverless Azure SQL databas
Update Type: GA, Services: Power BI Embedded, SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for late-January 2025

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 17:00:26 Z

In late-January 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Use database shrink to reduce allocated space in the Azure SQL Database Hyperscale service tier. Learn more.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Shrink for Azure SQL Database Hyperscale is now generally available

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 16:51:00 Z

Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Efficiently monitor SQL Database usage and consumption in Microsoft Fabric by using capacity metrics app

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 09:00:00 Z

In November 2024, Microsoft Fabric unveiled the preview of SQL Database in Fabric at Ignite – an exciting milestone that marked a new chapter for SQL Server, Azure SQL, and Microsoft Fabric, as operational and analytical workloads were brought together in one unified platform. Learn more in the announcement: Announcing SQL database in Microsoft Fabric (Preview). … Continue reading “Efficiently monitor SQL Database usage and consumption in Microsoft Fabric by using capacity metrics app”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories:

Stream data changes from Azure SQL Database - a call for Private Preview of Change Event Streaming

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 10:57:00 Z

Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for mid-January 2025

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 17:30:50 Z

In mid-January 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL Managed Instance: Filter egress traffic to Azure Storage accounts to help safeguard against data exfiltration. Learn more.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Azure Storage, Categories: Features

Introducing Command Palate in Fabric Warehouse & SQL Database Editor

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 09:30:00 Z

We are excited to announce the features we delivered in the month of November 2024 in developer experiences space aiming to make Fabric developers life easy! Introducing Command Palate Exciting news for Fabric Web developers! The command palette is now available with Fabric Web Query editor. The command palette in Fabric Web editor supports commands … Continue reading “Introducing Command Palate in Fabric Warehouse & SQL Database Editor”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL updates for early-December

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 17:15:04 Z

In early-December 2024, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: Get enhanced monitoring now that the dynamic management function (DMF) displays the component causing throttling of the primary log generation rate in Azure SQL Datab
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Limited public preview for enhanced log throughput for Azure SQL DB Hyperscale: Up to 150 MiB/s

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 13:00:00 Z

Announcing limited public preview for enhanced log throughput for Azure SQL DB Hyperscale: Up to 150 MiB/s
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Building a Smart Chatbot with SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric, LangChain and Chainlit

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 11:00:00 Z

Microsoft’s recent advancements in the Data & AI space, particularly with the introduction of SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric, have significantly lowered the barrier for developers to create innovative AI applications. These innovations bring AI closer to data, empowering every developer to build an AI app natively and in a more secure manner. Imagine you’re … Continue reading “Building a Smart Chatbot with SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric, LangChain and Chainlit”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for mid-November 2024

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 18:15:53 Z

In mid-November 2024, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: You can now set up a network security perimeter (NSP) in Azure SQL Database. An NSP defines a boundary around a group of platform as a service (PaaS) resources, providin
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Managed Instance Updates – #MSIgnite 2024

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 14:19:00 Z

Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Mirroring Azure SQL Database in Fabric

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 19:30:23 Z

We are excited to announce the general availability of Mirroring Azure SQL Database in Fabric. Mirroring is a simple, free, and frictionless way to replicate a snapshot of incremental data changes in Azure SQL Database to Fabric OneLake. Delta tables keep
Update Type: GA, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Managed Instance pools

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 17:00:35 Z

Now generally available, instance pools give you a flexible way to deploy compute resources for Azure SQL Managed Instance. You can deploy cost-effective, two-vCore instances, providing an ideal platform as a service (PaaS) target for small instances when
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Managed Instance mirroring to Microsoft Fabric

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 17:00:35 Z

You can now use mirroring to easily replicate Azure SQL Managed Instance data to Microsoft Fabric. Mirroring replicates your data in near real-time directly into Fabric OneLake. Using mirroring helps you avoid complex Extract Transform Load (ETL) processe
Update Type: Preview, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Managed Instance pools: General Availability

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 16:25:00 Z

We are happy to announce new features and General Availability for instance pools. Instance pools are a deployment option in Azure SQL Managed instance service to provision small, cost-effective ...
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Announcing the General Availability (GA) of Mirroring for Azure SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 14:15:00 Z

Today, customers Mirror their Azure SQL Database data into OneLake and accelerate their data potential with all workloads in Fabric. Together with Mirroring for Snowflake, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure SQL ...
Update Type: GA, Services: Microsoft Fabric, Cosmos DB, SQL Database, Categories:

Announcing the Generally Available (GA) of Mirroring for Azure SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 14:15:00 Z

Fabric Mirroring for Azure SQL Managed Instance now in Public Preview

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:39:00 Z

Advanced analytics capabilities of Fabric, now available with Fabric Mirroring in Public Preview for Azure SQL Managed Instance. Expose your operational data to Fabric with minimal effort for co...
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Announcing the general availability (GA) of Mirroring for Azure SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 06:15:00 Z

We are thrilled to announce the General Availability of Mirroring for Azure SQL Database in Fabric. This milestone marks a significant step forward in our mission to provide seamless, near-real time data replication and integration capabilities for our users. What is Mirroring in Fabric? Mirroring in Fabric is a powerful feature that allows you to … Continue reading “Announcing the general availability (GA) of Mirroring for Azure SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric”
Update Type: GA, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories:

Geo Zone Redundant Storage (GZRS) is now available for additional Azure SQL database service tiers

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 20:02:00 Z

Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Simplifying Data Ingestion with Copy Job: Upsert to SQL Database & Overwrite to Fabric Lakehouse

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 12:00:00 Z

Copy Job simplifies your data ingestion with non-compromising experience from any source to any destination. Whether you need batch or incremental copying, Copy Job provides the flexibility to meet your data needs while keeping things simple and intuitive. Check out the details in Announcing Public Preview: Copy Job in Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Fabric Blog … Continue reading “Simplifying Data Ingestion with Copy Job: Upsert to SQL Database & Overwrite to Fabric Lakehouse”
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories:

Introducing Reservations for Zone Redundant General Purpose SQL Database

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 19:47:00 Z

Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for early November 2024

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 18:30:03 Z

In early November 2024, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL:Azure SQL Database Hyperscale now offers 128 TB maximum storage capacity, up from 100 TB.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

SDK-style SQL projects in Visual Studio

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 18:30:03 Z

Now available in both Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code, Microsoft.Build.Sql projects are a database development and deployment toolkit for SQL Server, the Azure SQL family, and Fabric Data Warehouse. This update adds SQL projects based on the Microsof
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Database Hyperscale performance enhancements

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 18:30:03 Z

We are thrilled to announce some exciting performance enhancements for Azure SQL Database Hyperscale. Our latest updates push the boundaries of what's possible in relational data storage, delivering even greater speed, efficiency, and reliability.One key
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Generally Available: Azure SQL updates for early November 2024

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in early November 2024.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: New vector data type and functions in Azure SQL

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 00:00:00 Z

Power new AI solutions using native support for vectors in Azure SQL.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Azure SQL Database Hyperscale performance enhancements

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 00:00:00 Z

Experience Azure SQL Database Hyperscale: Boosted 150 MB/s log rate and new continuous priming for failover performance.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Announcing enhancements to Azure SQL Database Hyperscale

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 00:00:00 Z

Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for late-October 2024

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 07:00:00 Z

In late-October 2024, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: More than twice as many Azure regions as before now support autoscaling—up to 80 vCores—using serverless in Azure SQL Database.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Generally Available: Azure SQL updates for late-October 2024

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in late-October 2024.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Azure SQL Database Hyperscale - Named Replicas feature is Generally Available (GA)

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 Z

Announcing General Availability of Named replicas on Azure SQL Hyperscale that enables scale-out of a variety of OLTP or HTAP workloads.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Introducing database watcher for Azure SQL

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 00:00:00 Z

We are pleased to announce the public preview of database watcher for Azure SQL, a managed database monitoring solution to help our customers use Azure SQL reliably and efficiently.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL updates for early-October 2024

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 07:00:00 Z

In early-October 2024, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL:Reduce costs by lowering the auto-pause delay for serverless compute in Azure SQL Database. Learn more.Perform bidirectional failovers between SQL Server 2022 and Azure S
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Generally Available: Azure SQL updates for early-October 2024

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in early-October 2024.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

SQL Data Sync will be retired on September 30th, 2027

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 07:00:00 Z

SQL Data Sync will be retired on September 30th, 2027. By the date, please consider migrating to alternatives data replication/synchronization solutions. We encourage you to consider alternative solutions prior to the retirement date, so you can complete
Update Type: Deprecation, Services: Azure Functions, SQL Database, Data Factory, Categories: Retirements

Azure SQL Edge will be retired on September 30th, 2025

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 07:00:00 Z

Beginning September 30th, 2025 Azure SQL edge service will be retired. This change reflects valuable customer feedback, allowing us to focus on enhancing our other offerings to ensure you receive the most advanced and reliable services.Required actionTo e
Update Type: Deprecation, Services: SQL Database, Azure Arc, Categories: Retirements

Retirement: Azure SQL Edge will be retired on September 30th, 2025

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 00:00:00 Z

Azure SQL Edge will be retired on September 30, 2025. Upon retirement, workloads deployed to existing SQL Edge modules and containers will continue to run as-is; there will be no additional support provided for SQL Edge and no further updates will be published. We encourage you to consider migrating to an alternative solution prior to the retirement date to ensure a smooth transition to a fully supported product.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Retirements

Elastic pools for Azure SQL Database Hyperscale now Generally Available!

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:00:00 Z

We are very pleased to announce General Availability (GA) for Azure SQL Database Hyperscale elastic pools (“Hyperscale elastic pools”). Why use Hyperscale elastic pools? Azure SQL Database is the preferred database technology for hundreds of thousands of customers. Built on top of the rock-solid SQL Server engine and leveraging leading cloud-native architecture and technologies, Azure SQL Database Hyperscale offers leading performance, scalability and elasticity with one of the lowest TCO in the industry . While you may start with a standalone Hyperscale database, chances are that as your fleet of databases grows, you want to optimize price and performance across a set of Hyperscale databases. Elastic pools offer the convenience of pooling resources like CPU, memory, IO, while ensuring strong security isolation between those databases. Here's an example showing 8 standalone databases, each with an individually variable workload. Each database tends to spike in resource consumption at different points in time. Each database must therefore be allocated adequate resources (CPU, data IO, log IO, etc.) to accommodate the individual peak resource requirement. Accordingly, the total cost of these databases is directly proportional to the number of databases, while the average utilization of each database is low. vCore configuration shown is for demonstration purposes. Prices as of Sep 12, 2024, and only represent compute costs for Azure East US. Storage costs are extra and are billed per database. Actual configuration depends on workload profiles and performance requirements. With the shared resource model offered by Hyperscale elastic pools, the aggregate performance requirements of the workloads become much “smoother”, as seen in the white line chart. Correspondingly, the elastic pool only needs to be provisioned for the maximum combined resource requirement. This way, overall cost is lower, and average resource utilization is much higher than the standa
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Security

Azure SQL Database Hyperscale elastic pools

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 07:00:00 Z

We are pleased to announce that Azure SQL Database Hyperscale elastic pools are now generally available. Hyperscale elastic pools enable software as a service (SaaS) developers to optimize the price performance ratio for a group of databases, while delive
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Generally Available: Azure SQL Database Hyperscale elastic pools

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 00:00:00 Z

Azure SQL Database Hyperscale elastic pools are now generally available.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Introducing Simplified Subscription Limits for SQL Database and Synapse Analytics Dedicated SQL Pool

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 15:06:29 Z

We are introducing new and simplified subscription limits for Azure SQL Database and Azure Synapse Analytics Dedicated SQL Pool (formerly SQL DW). These updates are designed to reduce customer confusion and improve the overall quota management experience. What's changing? New vCore based limits: The new limits will be based on vCores per Subscription per Region, which will be directly equivalent to DTU and DWU. Default logical servers limit: All new and existing subscriptions will now be subject to a maximum default limit of 250 logical servers. The previous limits on Logical Server DTUs have been discontinued. Configurable vCore limits: Customers now have the convenience of easily changing their subscription limits via the support section of the Azure Portal, with approvals often processed within minutes. New portal experience: Below is an example of the new portal experience where customers can view their existing limits and current vCore usage and have the option to request higher limits. Existing limits: Subscriptions that were previously approved for limits beyond the old system's default settings will be seamlessly transitioned to the new system without any changes to their approved limits. Frequently asked questions What happens to my current quota limits? All subscriptions will have a default and maximum of 250 logical servers. For customers with previously approved quotas, the limits will be carried over to the new system. Do quotas apply equally to my serverless DBs? Yes. Currently, quotas are determined by overall usage, meaning that serverless usage is considered in the same manner as provisioned usage. Is there a way to get notified before I hit my quota limit?Not at this time. However, as a workaround you can leverage the Subscription Usages API with the usageName parameter set to "RegionalVCoreQuotaForSQLDBAndDW". What about Dedicated SQL Pool limits in Azure Synapse Analytics?Synapse Analytics will sho
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Synapse Analytics, SQL Database, Categories: Management

Azure SQL updates for mid-August 2024

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 07:00:00 Z

In mid-August 2024, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL: You can now configure the maintenance window for the named replica in the Azure SQL Database Hyperscale service tier to minimize the impact on read workloads during critica
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Generally Available: Azure SQL updates for mid-August 2024

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in mid-August 2024.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Generally Available: Dev Containers templates for Azure SQL Database

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 Z

Simplify your development process with Dev Container templates for Azure SQL Database.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

General Availability: Maintenance window support for Azure SQL Database Hyperscale named replica.

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 15:00:00 Z

We are excited to announce that Hyperscale named replicas now support configuring a specific maintenance windows. You can now choose from predefined time slots for maintenance and setup alerts to be notified of upcoming maintenance events. Why it matters: With named replicas, you can enhance your modern application architectures by scaling out read workloads to up to 30 read replicas. This reduces the load on the primary replica, allowing it to focus on write operations. Imagine multiple reader applications connecting to specific named replicas, each with its own unique business hours. This setup requires a tailored maintenance schedule, which minimizes downtime during crucial local business hours and prevents widespread disruptions. Overview By default, impactful updates to Azure SQL Database resources happen during the period 5PM to 8AM local time. Local time is determined by the location of Azure region that hosts the resource and may observe daylight saving time in accordance with local time zone definition. You can adjust the window for maintenance updates to a time suitable for your workload, by choosing from two non-default maintenance window slots: Weekday window: 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM local time, Monday – Thursday Weekend window: 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM local time, Friday – Sunday Once the maintenance window selection is made, all planned maintenance events will only occur during the window of your choice. Quick Start Guide Maintenance window can be configured for existing named replicas through Azure portal, CLI, PowerShell, or RESTAPI. NOTE: Setting a maintenance window during the creation of a new named replica is not supported. Detailed information is available at Configure maintenance window. For convenience, here’s a quick start to configure maintenance window for named replica. Azure Portal: Here’s a screenshot of an existing Hyperscale named replica in East US2 region, with the a
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Connect Azure SQL Server via User Assigned Managed Identity under Django

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 05:58:24 Z

TOC Why we use it Architecture How to use it References Why we use it This tutorial will introduce how to integrate Microsoft Entra with Azure SQL Server to avoid using fixed usernames and passwords. By utilizing user-assigned managed identities as a programmatic bridge, it becomes easier for Azure-related PaaS services (such as Function App or App Services) to communicate with the database without storing connection information in plain text. Architecture I will introduce each service or component and their configurations in subsequent chapters according to the order of A-D: A: The company's account administrator needs to create or designate a user as the database administrator. This role can only be assigned to one person within the database and is responsible for basic configuration and the creation and maintenance of other database users. It is not intended for development or actual system operations. B: The company's security department needs to create one or more user-assigned managed identities. In the future, the Web App will issue access requests to the database under different user identities. C: The company's data department needs to create or maintain a database and designate Microsoft Entra as the only login method, eliminating other fixed username/password combinations. D: The company's development department needs to create a Web App (or other service) as the basic unit of the business system. Programmers within this unit will write business logic (e.g., accessing the database) and deploy it here. How to use it A: As this article does not dive into the detailed configuration of Microsoft Entra, it will only outline the process. The company's account administrator needs to create or designate a user as the database administrator. In this example, we will call this user "cch," and the account, "cch@thexxxxxxxxxxxx" will be used in subsequent steps. B: Please create a user-assigned managed identity from Azure Portal. And
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Functions, App Service, SQL Database, Categories: Security, Services

Generally Available: Azure SQL updates for late-June 2024

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in late-June 2024.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Azure SQL updates for mid-June 2024

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:00:00 Z

Public preview enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in mid-June 2024.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Public Preview: Azure SQL updates for early-July 2024

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Public preview enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in early-July 2024.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Shrink for Azure SQL Database Hyperscale

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 17:43:35 Z

If you are using Hyperscale in Azure SQL Database, you know that it is a powerful tier that lets you rapidly scale up and scale out your database according to your needs along with autoscaling storage. However, there could be situations where storage is scaled up automatically and then due to some business needs, a significant amount of data is removed/purged and a lot of free space is left within the database Today, we are pleased to announce that database and data file shrink is available in the Hyperscale tier in preview. Now you can reduce the allocated size of a Hyperscale database using the same DBCC SHRINK* commands that you might be familiar with. This allows you to reduce the size of the databases and free up unused space to save storage costs. How to use shrink in Hyperscale? Using shrink is easy and straightforward. You use the same set of commands which you might have used in other tiers of Azure SQL Database or in SQL Server. First, identify a Hyperscale database with substantial allocated but unused storage space. For definitions of allocated and used storage space, see Azure SQL Database file space management - Azure SQL Database | Microsoft Docs. Azure portal also provides this information. You can also capture the current used, allocated, and unused space in each database file by executing the following query in the database. DECLARE @NumPagesPerGB float = 128 * 1024; SELECT file_id AS FileId , size / @NumPagesPerGB AS AllocatedSpaceGB , ROUND(CAST(FILEPROPERTY(name, 'SpaceUsed') AS float)/@NumPagesPerGB,3) AS UsedSpaceGB , ROUND((size-CAST(FILEPROPERTY(name, 'SpaceUsed') AS float))/@NumPagesPerGB,3) AS FreeSpaceGB , ROUND(max_size / @NumPagesPerGB,3) AS MaxSizeGB , ROUND(CAST(size - FILEPROPERTY(name, 'SpaceUsed') AS float)*100/size,3) AS UnusedSpacePercent FROM sys.database_files WHERE type_desc = 'ROWS' ORDER BY file_id A shrink operation can be initiated using either command to shrink the entire database, or DBCC SHRINKFILE comma
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Management

General availability: Database compatibility level 160 in Azure SQL Database

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 02:07:18 Z

Database compatibility level 160 is now the default for new databases created in Azure SQL Database across almost all public regions. The alignment of SQL versions to default compatibility levels are as follows: 100: in SQL Server 2008 and Azure SQL Database 110: in SQL Server 2012 and Azure SQL Database 120: in SQL Server 2014 and Azure SQL Database 130: in SQL Server 2016 and Azure SQL Database 140: in SQL Server 2017 and Azure SQL Database 150: in SQL Server 2019 and Azure SQL Database 160: in SQL Server 2022 and Azure SQL Database For details about which feature, or features compatibility level 160 enables, please see Intelligent query processing in SQL databases. The IQP family of features includes multiple features that improve the performance of existing workloads with minimal or no implementation effort. Once this new database compatibility default goes into effect, if you still wish to use database compatibility level 150 (or lower), please follow the instructions detailed here: View or Change the Compatibility Level of a Database . For example, you may wish to ensure that new databases created on the same logical server use the same compatibility level as other Azure SQL Databases to ensure consistent query optimization and execution behavior across development, QA and production versions of your databases. With this example in mind, we recommend that any database configuration scripts in use explicitly designate the COMPATIBILITY_LEVEL rather than rely on the defaults, in order to ensure consistent application behavior. For new databases supporting new applications, we recommend using the latest compatibility level, 160. For pre-existing databases running at lower compatibility levels, the recommended workflow for upgrading the query processor to a higher compatibility level is detailed in the article Change the Database Compatibility Mode and Use the Query Store. Note that this article refers to datab
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features, Regions & Datacenters

JSON Type & Aggregates Public Preview in Azure SQL Database | Data Exposed

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 23:42:47 Z

The native JSON type allows JSON documents to be stored in a binary format. This binary format allows for efficient query processing and in-place modifications of JSON documents. The JSON aggregates - JSON_OBJECTAGG & JSON_ARRAYAGG enable easy aggregation of relational data into a JSON document. Learn more in this episode of Data Exposed with Anna Hoffman and Umachandar Jayachandran. Watch on Data Exposed Resources: JSON data type (preview) - SQL Server | Microsoft Learn JSON_OBJECTAGG (Transact-SQL) - SQL Server | Microsoft Learn JSON_ARRAYAGG (Transact-SQL) - SQL Server | Microsoft Learn View/share our latest episodes on Microsoft Learn and YouTube!
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Announcing GA of Advance Notifications for Azure SQL Managed Instance

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 15:00:00 Z

We are pleased to announce the GA release of Advance Notifications for Azure SQL Managed Instance. What are advance notifications? Advance notifications allow you to prepare for planned maintenance events on your SQL Managed Instance resources. They alert you 24 hours before a planned maintenance event. Advance notifications work hand-in-hand with SQL Maintenance Windows – with the two combined, you gain control over when your managed instances receive updates and receive a notification ahead of time. Why should I configure advance notifications? Getting advance notification can help you to efficiently prepare your system for the blips in availability associated with regular maintenance events. You can execute your pre- or post- maintenance actions either manually or set up automation. A maintenance notification carries the information about: Affected region Affected service List of impacted resources Status of maintenance event How do advance notifications work? These notifications are integrated with Service Health's planned maintenance experience and allow you to view all scheduled maintenance for your subscriptions in one place. It also helps to scale the notification to the right audience, as you may have different contacts responsible for different resources. You will receive a notification around 24 hours before the maintenance event; one when the maintenance event starts; and one as the maintenance event completes. With maintenance notifications in place, you can leverage the Service Health portal for checking maintenance activities (planned, ongoing, completed, canceled, rescheduled), or you can configure one of the supported options for alerting and automation. An example of the alerting option is receiving an email or SMS. Automation options include triggering Azure Functions, Logic App, Webhook, Automation runbook, and more. How do you set up advance notifications? To set up advance notifications you create
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Logic Apps, Azure Functions, SQL Database, Categories: Services

Azure SQL DB Vector Functions Private Preview | Data Exposed

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 16:00:00 Z

Vectors and embeddings are the foundation of AI-enabled applications, just like high-quality valuable data is a key asset to build truly smart AI applications. With Azure SQL you can now have both of these requirements satisfied in just one database. No need to have yet another system to manage! In this episode, we’ll go over the features introduced in the Private Preview, some use cases and details on how to enter the Private Preview, so that you can start to build AI-ready application on your valuable data right now. Watch on Data Exposed Resources: Private Preview Blog post Private Preview request form View/share our latest episodes on Microsoft Learn and YouTube!
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure Functions, SQL Database, Categories: Features

Announcing UNISTR and || operator in Azure SQL Database – preview

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 15:00:00 Z

We are excited to announce that the UNISTR intrinsic function and ANSI SQL concatenation operator (||) are now available in public preview in Azure SQL Database. The UNISTR function allows you to escape Unicode characters, making it easier to work with international text. The ANSI SQL concatenation operator (||) provides a simple and intuitive way to combine characters or binary strings. These new features will enhance your ability to manipulate and work with text data. What is UNISTR function? The UNISTR function takes a text literal or an expression of characters and Unicode values, that resolves to character data and returns it as a UTF-8 or UTF-16 encoded string. This function allows you to use Unicode codepoint escape sequences with other characters in the string. The escape sequence for a Unicode character can be specified in the form of \xxxx or \+xxxxxx, where xxxx is a valid UTF-16 codepoint value, and xxxxxx is a valid Unicode codepoint value. This is especially useful for inserting data into NCHAR columns. The syntax of the UNISTR function is as follows: UNISTR ( 'character_expression' [ , 'unicode_escape_character' ] ) The data type of character_expression could be char, nchar, varchar, or nvarchar. For char and varchar data types, the collation should be a valid UTF-8 collation only. A single character representing a user-defined Unicode escape sequence. If not supplied, the default value is \. Examples Example #1: For example, the following query returns the Unicode character for the specified value: -- All the queries below will produce the same output. SELECT UNISTR(N'Hello \D83D\DE00'); SELECT UNISTR(N'\0048ello \+01F603'); SELECT UNISTR(N'\0048\0065\006C\006C\006F \+01F603'); Results: ——————————- Hello Example #2: In this example, the UNISTR function is
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

General availability: Azure SQL updates for late-May 2024

Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in late-May 2024.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Azure SQL updates for late-May 2024

Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:00 Z

Public preview enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in late-May 2024.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: New Azure SQL Database skills introduced to Microsoft Copilot in Azure

Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:00 Z

New Copilot skills assist in efficient management and operation of Azure SQL Database.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Copilot in Azure, Categories: Features

General Availability: Data API builder

Wed, 15 May 2024 00:00:00 Z

Add a feature-rich data API to an Azure database or on-prem database using Microsoft's open-source Data API builder.
Update Type: GA, Services: Cosmos DB, SQL Database, Database for MySQL, Database for PostgreSQL, Categories: Features

Introducing Regular Expressions (Regex) support in Azure SQL Database | Data Exposed

Thu, 02 May 2024 17:00:00 Z

In this episode of Data Exposed, we'll introduce the new Regular Expressions (Regex) feature in Azure SQL Database. Join us to discover the built-in T-SQL REGEX functions in Azure SQL Database, enabling you to write concise queries for complex data pattern matching, manipulation, validation and retrieval scenarios. Watch on Data Exposed Resources: Introducing Regular Expression (Regex) Support in Azure SQL DB blog Sign-up link View/share our latest episodes on Microsoft Learn and YouTube!
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

General availability: Azure SQL updates for mid-April 2024

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in mid-April 2024.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

GA: Azure SQL Trigger support for Azure Functions

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:00:00 Z

You can now build application logic in Azure Function apps which can be driven by the data from Azure SQL database
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Functions, SQL Database, Categories: Features

General availability: Azure SQL updates for late-March 2024

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in late-March 2024 .
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Azure SQL updates for late-March 2024

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:00:00 Z

Public preview enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in late-March 2024.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Azure SQL Database Mirroring in Microsoft Fabric

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 00:00:00 Z

Mirroring Azure SQL Database provides an easy experience to continuously replicate SQL DB data directly into Microsoft Fabric.
Update Type: Preview, Services: Microsoft Fabric, SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Next generation of general purpose service tier for Azure SQL Managed Instance

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 00:00:00 Z

The next generation of general purpose service tier brings improved performance, 32 TB storage and higher database density.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public preview: Database watcher for Azure SQL

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 00:00:00 Z

Enable in-depth, managed monitoring of Azure SQL databases, elastic pools, and managed instances.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Data Explorer, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Azure SQL updates for mid-March 2024

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 Z

Public preview enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in mid-March 2024.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Azure SQL updates for late-February 2024

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 00:00:00 Z

Public preview enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in late-February 2024.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

General availability: Azure SQL updates for mid-February 2024

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in mid-February 2024.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public preview: Azure SQL migration assessment enabled by Azure Arc

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 00:00:00 Z

With SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc you can now begin your migration journey from directly within the Azure Arc environment with recommended Azure SQL deployment option that best fits your workload needs.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Azure Arc, Categories: Features

General availability: Azure SQL updates for late-January 2024

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in late-January 2024.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public preview: Azure SQL updates for late-January 2024

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 00:00:00 Z

Public preview enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in late-January 2024.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Free SQL Managed Instance

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 Z

Explore the power of SQL Managed Instance for free. It's perfect for testing out cloud migrations and elevating your database experience.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public preview: Schema migration for target Azure SQL DB

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 00:00:00 Z

Transfer your database schema from source to target Azure SQL DB using DMS from the Azure Portal.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, DB Migration Service, Categories: Features

General availability: SKU recommendation in Azure SQL Migration extension - Azure Data Studio

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 00:00:00 Z

Support for SKU recommendation in the Azure SQL Migration extension for Azure Data Studio is in GA.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, DB Migration Service, Categories: Features

Public preview: Online Disaster recovery between SQL Server 2022 and Azure SQL Managed Instance

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 Z

Managed online disaster recovery between SQL Server 2022 and Azure SQL Managed Instance allows near real-time database replication and bidirectional online failover to Azure and back.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

General Availability: November 2022 Feature Wave for Azure SQL Managed Instance

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 Z

The November 2022 Feature Wave for Azure SQL Managed Instance is now available for all subscription types for instances running in new subnets. It includes faster provisioning, zone redundancy, start/stop and support for distributed transactions.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Virtual Network, Categories: Features

General availability: Azure SQL Database Always Encrypted with virtualization-based security (VBS) enclaves

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 Z

VBS enclaves in Azure SQL Database brings the benefits of secure enclaves, rich confidential queries, and in-place cryptographic operations, to all Azure SQL Database offerings, independent from the underlying hardware.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Azure SQL updates for mid-November 2023

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 Z

Public Preview enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in mid-November 2023.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

General availability: Azure SQL updates for mid-November 2023

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in mid-November 2023.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

New user interface experience for Azure SQL migration extension

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 Z

The Azure SQL Migration, an Azure Data Studio extension powered by Azure Database Migration Service, now has a new improved UI experience.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, DB Migration Service, Categories: Features

General Availability: Lower pricing for Azure SQL Database Hyperscale expected in December 2023

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 Z

Build new and highly scalable applications on Azure SQL Database Hyperscale with lower pricing!
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Azure SQL updates for early-November 2023

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 00:00:00 Z

Public preview enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in early-November 2023.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

General availability: Azure SQL updates for early-October 2023

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in early-October 2023.   
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

Public Preview: Azure SQL Database free offer

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 00:00:00 Z

Get one free serverless Azure SQL Database per subscription for the lifetime of the subscription.
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

General availability: Azure SQL updates for late-September 2023

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in late-September 2023.
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

General Availability: Azure SQL updates for mid-September 2023

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 00:00:00 Z

General availability enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in mid-September 2023
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, Categories: Features

SQL DB maintenance activity using Automation accounts for Azure SQL DBs(Different scenarios)

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 04:45:37 Z

Infrastructure: Multiple Azure SQL DB instances Multiple databases in total Multiple instances consist of multiple databases Different subscriptions exist for different environments (Dev, UAT, Prod) Requirement: Schedule maintenance jobs for all instances All of them should run parallelly No dependency of one job on another Per subscription one automation account can be created Overview of Steps to be followed: Create Azure automation account Import SQLServer module Add Credentials to access SQL DB Add a runbook to run the maintenance Schedule task Create new automation account Login to your Azure portal and search “automation account” in the search bar. Choose Automation Accounts from the results: Click "create" Fill the form, choose a name for your automation account, and choose in which resource group it will be placed. Click "create" and wait for the account to be created. Import SQLServer module Click on "Modules" at the left options panel, and then click on "Browse Gallery" and search for "SQLServer" Choose "SqlServer" by matteot_msft Then click on "import" and the "OK" Wait for the import to complete Add Credentials to access SQL DB This will use secure way to hold login name and password that will be used to access Azure SQL DB. Note: You can skip this and use it as clear text if you like to use clear text skip to the next step. Under "Shared Resources" click on credentials Then click on "Add Credential" Type "SQLCred"(or whatever name you want to provide for your credentials) as the name of the credential. In the username field type the SQL Login that will be used for maintenance and its password. Click "Create" Add a runbook to run the maintenance Click on "runbooks" at the left panel and then click "add a runbook" Choose "create a new runbook" and then give it a name and choose "Powershell" as the type of the runbook and then click on "create" Copy and paste the following row to the new runbook (in case of
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Introducing dynamic lineage extraction from Azure SQL Databases in Azure Purview

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0800

Data citizens including both technical and business users rely on data lineage for root cause analysis, impact analysis, data quality tracing, and other data governance applications. In the current data landscape, where data is fluidly moving across locations and across data platforms and applications, it is increasingly important to map the lineage of data. Today, we are announcing the preview release of dynamic lineage extraction from Azure SQL Databases in Azure Purview.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Azure Purview, Categories:

The Azure SQL family: Innovation and value in the cloud

Wed, 27 May 2020 00:00:00 -0700

When it comes to migrating your data, you have a variety of options to consider, and it’s important to have the flexibility to choose a path that helps you respond to uncertainty in a way that makes the most sense for your business. Azure SQL is here to help.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL Data Warehouse is now Azure Synapse Analytics

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0800

On November fourth, we announced Azure Synapse Analytics, the next evolution of Azure SQL Data Warehouse. Azure Synapse is a limitless analytics service that brings together enterprise data warehousing and Big Data analytics.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Synapse Analytics, SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL Database Edge: Enabling intelligent data at the edge

Mon, 13 May 2019 00:00:00 -0700

The world of data changes at a rapid pace, with more and more data being projected to be stored and processed at the edge.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: SQL Database, Categories:

Azure SQL Data Warehouse reserved capacity and software plans now generally available

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 00:00:00 -0700

We’re excited to share more ways to optimize your Azure costs. Today we are releasing the general availability of Azure SQL Data Warehouse reserved capacity and software plans for RedHat Enterprise Linux and SUSE.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Synapse Analytics, SQL Database, Categories:

Announcing the public preview of Data Discovery & Classification for Azure SQL Data Warehouse

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0700

Today we’re announcing the public preview of Data Discovery & Classification for Azure SQL Data Warehouse, an additional capability for managing security for sensitive data.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Synapse Analytics, SQL Database, Categories:

Announcing the general availability of Query Store for Azure SQL Data Warehouse

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 00:00:00 -0800

Since our preview announcement, hundreds of customers have been enabling Query Store to provide insight on query performance. We’re excited to share the general availability of Query Store worldwide for Azure SQL Data Warehouse.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Synapse Analytics, SQL Database, Categories:

General availability of VNet Service Endpoints for Azure SQL Data Warehouse

Thu, 06 Dec 2018 00:00:00 -0800

We’re excited to share the general availability of Virtual Network (VNet) Service Endpoints for Azure SQL Data Warehouse in all Azure public cloud regions. Azure SQL Data Warehouse is a fast, flexible, and secure cloud data warehouse tuned for running complex queries fast and across petabytes of data.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Synapse Analytics, SQL Database, Virtual Network, Categories:

Row-Level Security is now supported for Microsoft Azure SQL Data Warehouse

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 00:00:00 -0800

Today we’re announcing general availability of Row-Level Security (RLS) for Azure SQL Data Warehouse, an additional capability for managing security for sensitive data.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Synapse Analytics, SQL Database, Categories: Security

Azure SQL Data Warehouse introduces new productivity and security capabilities

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 00:00:00 -0800

Microsoft Azure SQL Data Warehouse continues to provide best in class price/performance offering, and now leads its peers in TPC-H and TPC-DS benchmarks based on independent testing.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Synapse Analytics, SQL Database, Categories: