We are excited to announce the general availability (GA) of the latest improvements in the Azure SQL Database conversion process to Hyperscale. These improvements bring shorter downtime, better control, and more visibility to the Hyperscale conversion process, making it easier and more efficient for our customers to switch to Hyperscale.

Key enhancements

We received feedback from customers about longer-than-expected downtime, lack of visibility, and unpredictable cutover time during database conversion to Hyperscale. In response, we have made key improvements in this area.

1. Shorter cutover time

Prior to this improvement, the cutover time depended on the database size and workload. With the improvement we have significantly reduced the average cutover time (effective unavailability of the database for the application) from about six minutes, sometime extending to thirty minutes, to less than one minute.

2. Higher log generation rate

By improving synchronizing mechanisms between source and destination while the conversion is in progress, we now support a higher log generation rate on the source database, ensuring that the conversion can complete successfully with write intensive workloads. This enhancement ensures a smoother and faster migration experience, even for high-transaction rate environments. We now support up to 50 MiB/s log generation rate on the source database during conversion. Once converted to Hyperscale, the supported log generation rate is 100 MiB/s, with higher rate of 150 MiB/s in preview.

3. Manual cutover

One of the most significant improvements is the introduction of a customer-controlled cutover mode called manual cutover. This allows customers to have more control over the conversion process, enabling them to schedule and manage the cutover at the time of their choice.

You can perform cutover within 24 hours once conversion process reaches “Ready to cutover” state.

4. Enhanced progress reporting

Improved progress reporting capabilities provide detailed insights into the conversion process. Customers can now monitor the migration status in real-time, with clear visibility into each step of the process. Progress reporting is available via T-SQL, REST API, PowerShell, Azure CLI, or in the Azure portal. Detailed progress information about conversion phases provides greater transparency and control over the process.

How to use it?

All the improvements are applied automatically. Once exception is the manual cutover mode, where you need to use a new optional parameter in T-SQL, PowerShell, Azure CLI, or REST API while initiating the conversion process. The Azure portal also provides a new option to select manual cutover as shown in below image.

Manual cutover options in the Azure Portal

Granular progress reporting is available irrespective of the cutover mode.

One of our customers said - The migration to Hyperscale using the improvements was much easier than expected. The customer-controlled cutover and detailed progress reporting made the process seamless and efficient.

For more information, see our documentation: Convert a Database to Hyperscale - Azure SQL Database | Microsoft Learn

Conclusion

We are thrilled to bring these enhancements to our customers and look forward to seeing how they will transform their Hyperscale conversion experience. This update marks a significant step forward in the Hyperscale conversion process, offering faster cutover time, enhanced control with a manual cutover option, and improved progress visibility.

You can contact us by commenting on this blog post and we’ll be happy to get back to you. Alternatively, you can also email us at sqlhsfeedback AT microsoft DOT com. We are eager to hear from you all!