Blog Post
Announcing the preview of Copilot in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
Cheef87 Our recommendation is to use Entra authentication (rather than an API key) for the AOAI resource, as it's a more secure option. But, either way, you are correct in that you deploy the AOIA resources and then provide the endpoint and deployment (and API key if used) to the users.
Cost estimation is tricky - we tried to use private preview to create cost estimates, but use was so varied that we didn't feel we had reliable data to share. It is a pay-as-you-go model, versus a fixed amount, and the cost will depend on the number of prompts sent and the tokens used. Token use will depend on the prompt - if you ask a simple question (what is the compat mode) that will use fewer tokens than if ask it to analyze performance of a query plan. I understand that it would be nice to "know" a number, but like a lot of things, it depends - in this case on volume and token use.
Thank you for the rapid response. We have entra configured so I will give it a shot setting it up for my team! So excited to have copilot in SSMS! I dont mind this being through Azure as opposed to through github like VS. In fact, it seems like it might be an easier way to grant and revoke access to team members and monitor costs. Thanks again.
- erinstellatoJun 02, 2025
Microsoft
Cheef87 Glad to help! And yes, managing the cost and access is a benefit of Copilot in SSMS being managed through Azure OpenAI resources, for those who are already using Azure elsewhere. Thanks for the feedback!