New database migration experience for SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc – Public Preview

danimir

Microsoft

Jul 17, 2025

The new SQL Server migration experience enabled by Azure Arc offers a unified and streamlined approach to modernizing your data estate. By integrating continuous assessments, seamless provisioning, real-time database replication, monitoring, cutover and Microsoft Copilot into a single portal workflow, we’ve eliminated the need to use different tools or to jump between various places in Azure portal. What once took weeks and months now takes only days.

We’re excited to announce a new database migration experience for SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc - now in public preview. This experience is designed to simplify and accelerate SQL Server migration journey to Azure SQL Managed Instance offering a unified, end-to-end workflow directly within the Azure portal.

🚀 What Is It?

This new migration experience integrates existing Azure Database Migration Service capabilities into Azure Arc by enabling the entire end to end migration journey with the following capabilities:

Continuous database migration assessments with Azure SQL target recommendations and cost estimates.
Seamless provisioning of Azure SQL Managed Instance as destination target, also with an option of free instance evaluation.
Option to choose between two built-in migration methods: real-time database replication using Distributed Availability Groups (powered by the MI link feature), or log shipping via backup and restore (powered by the Log Replay Service feature).
Unified interface that eliminates the need to use multiple tools or to jump between various places in Azure portal.
Microsoft Copilot is integrated to assist you at select points during the migration journey.

💡 Why It Matters

Traditionally, migrating SQL Server workloads to Azure required juggling between multiple tools, various places in portal, and some manual steps. This new experience changes that by:

Providing a single pane of glass in the Azure portal for the entire migration journey.
Reducing migration timelines from months to days.
Offering real-time replication and minimal downtime migration
Enabling validation of target environments using read-only replicas before cutover.
Automatically capturing application client connection data to simplify mapping between applications and databases.
With built-in support for both MI link and Log Replay Service (LRS), customers can choose the migration method that best fits their SQL Server version and business needs.
Optional failback for SQL Server 2022 and above with external tooling.
Providing intelligent step-by-step guidance with Microsoft Copilot at select points of the migration journey, helping users make informed decisions.

🧭 Start Your Migration Journey Today

In case your SQL Server is Arc enabled, you could proceed right away to Azure portal. If you need to enable it, then onboard your SQL Server to Azure Arc today.

In the portal, navigate to Arc enabled SQL Server resource, and on the left-hand side select Migration, then Database Migration (preview).

This is where you will navigate to the new database migration experience.

▶️ Demo Video

Included below is a short YouTube video demonstrating the database migration experience you can expect.

From the main screen, you can navigate through each stage of the migration journey - starting with the database migration readiness assessment, followed by selecting or provisioning an Azure SQL Managed Instance as the target destination, choosing the appropriate migration method, monitoring progress, and performing the final cutover.

By selecting the Azure SQL Benefits tab, you’ll gain insights into the advantages of Azure SQL - helping you make well-informed decisions about your migration. You can consult the integrated Microsoft Copilot at select points in the journey for guidance and support to ensure confident and informed decision-making.