Seamlessly migrate a SQL database to Azure SQL Database (offline) with Microsoft Azure PowerShell
In this blog post, I'll guide you through the process of offline migration for the AdventureWorks2016 database. The migration involves moving the database from an on-premises SQL Server to an Azure SQL Database server. To achieve this, we'll use Microsoft Azure PowerShell and specifically the New-Az.DataMigration module, which provides the tools and functionalities necessary to facilitate the migration of databases from a SQL Server instance to an Azure SQL Database server.Introducing Azure SQL Database offline migrations for the Azure SQL migration extension
The new migration capability in the Azure SQL Migration extension provides an end-to-end experience to modernize SQL Server to Azure SQL Database. The extension allows you to perform a migration readiness check with actions to remediate possible migration blockers, export the assessment results, and get right-sized Azure recommendations.
General Availability - DMS's PowerShell, Azure CLI, and Python SDK
We’re excited to announce the General Availability (GA) of DMS client tools - PowerShell, Azure CLI, Python SDK and more. This milestone unlocks efficient, stable, and scalable automation options for database migration workflows—making it easier than ever to integrate DMS into your DevOps pipelines and enterprise migration strategies. 💡Introduction: With the general availability of DMS client tools - PowerShell, Azure CLI, Python SDK, users can now use stable release of: PowerShell module 1.0.0 (https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/Az.DataMigration/1.0.0) Azure CLI extension 1.0.0 (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/datamigration?view=azure-cli-latest) DMS V2 APIs (version 2025-06-30) SDKs for multiple languages (listed below) SDKs Releases: Language GA Package / Link .Net https://www.nuget.org/packages/Azure.ResourceManager.DataMigration/1.0.0 Java https://central.sonatype.com/artifact/com.azure.resourcemanager/azure-resourcemanager-datamigration/1.1.0 Go https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-go/sdk/resourcemanager/datamigration/armdatamigration/v2 Python azure-mgmt-datamigration · PyPI JavaScript https://www.npmjs.com/package/@azure/arm-datamigration/v/3.0.0 🔧 What’s New? Three new commands have been introduced in the latest releases of the SDK, PowerShell module, and CLI extension, as outlined below: New CLI Commands: az datamigration sql-db retry - Retry the failed SQL DB migrations. az datamigration sql-managed-instance delete - Delete Azure SQL MI’s Database Migration resource. az datamigration sql-vm delete - Delete Azure SQL VM’s Database Migration resource. New PowerShell Commands: Invoke-AzDataMigrationRetryToSqlDb - Retry the failed SQL DB migrations. Remove-AzDataMigrationToSqlManagedInstance - Delete Azure SQL MI’s Database Migration resource. Remove-AzDataMigrationToSqlVM - Delete Azure SQL VM’s Database Migration resource. 🚀Conclusion: With this GA / stable release, users can now: Use them to configure and execute migrations with full control. Automate migrations: DevOps teams can embed migration steps into CI/CD pipelines. Integrate into custom applications and orchestration tools. These support all the DMS migration scenarios—from simple lift-and-shift operations to complex logical migrations—while ensuring stability, and repeatability. For more details, refer: Documentation: Migrate databases at scale using Azure PowerShell / CLI PowerShell: Az.DataMigration Module Azure CLI: az datamigration Python SDK: azure-mgmt-datamigration · PyPIElastic Pools SKU recommendations in DMS Automation - Azure Powershell and CLI
We are excited to announce the addition of Azure SQL Database Elastic Pools (Elastic Pools) SKU recommendation in Azure Data Migration Service (DMS) automation tools. What has changed As part of our ongoing efforts to simplify and optimize the migration of on-premises SQL Server databases to Azure, we have now added the ability to recommend Azure SQL Elastic Pools for Azure SQL Database targets. This new feature is available through both Azure PowerShell and Azure CLI, making it easier than ever to leverage the cost benefits and scalability of Elastic Pools. Why This Matters Elastic Pools offer a cost-effective solution for managing and scaling multiple databases with varying and unpredictable usage demands. By sharing a set number of resources across multiple databases, Elastic Pools help you optimize resource utilization and reduce costs compared to provisioning standalone databases. This is particularly beneficial for scenarios where database usage patterns are unpredictable, allowing you to handle spikes in demand without overprovisioning resources. Key Benefits of Elastic Pools Cost Savings: Elastic Pools provide significant cost savings by allowing multiple databases to share resources. This eliminates the need to overprovision resources for individual databases, leading to more efficient resource utilization and lower costs. 2. Scalability: Elastic Pools share resources ensuring that your databases get the performance they need when they need it. This provides all the benefits of scaling on demand. 3. Simplified Management: Managing resources for a pool rather than individual databases simplifies your management tasks and provides a predictable budget for the pool. No Changes Needed to Command Line One of the best parts of this new feature is that there are no changes needed to the command line for the `Get-AzDataMigrationSkuRecommendation` and `get-sku-recommendation` commands. You can continue using these commands as you always have, and the tool will now include recommendations for Elastic Pools where appropriate. How to Use the Command To get started with the new Elastic Pool recommendations, simply run the `Get-AzDataMigrationSkuRecommendation` command in Azure PowerShell or the `get-sku-recommendation` command in Azure CLI. Here’s a quick guide on how to run the command and review the output: Azure PowerShell: # Run SKU Recommendation Get-AzDataMigrationSkuRecommendation -OutputFolder "C:\Output" -DisplayResult -Overwrite Azure CLI: # Run SKU Recommendation az datamigration get-sku-recommendation --output-folder "C:\Output" --display-result --overwrite Reviewing the Output JSON File The output of the SKU recommendation will be saved in a JSON file in the specified output folder. This file will include detailed recommendations for Azure SQL Database SKUs, including 1 or more Elastic Pools as needed to accommodate the databases in the SQL Server instance. Here’s what to look for in the JSON file: - ResourceType: Indicates whether the recommendation is for a SingleDatabase or ElasticPool. - PoolCount: The total number of Elastic Pools of the given configuration recommended. - ElasticPoolMemberDatabases: Lists the databases that are recommended to be included in the pool. Conclusion We believe that the addition of Elastic Pool recommendations to our DMS automation tools will provide significant cost savings while improving scalability, and simplifying management, making it easier than ever to migrate to Azure SQL Database. Next Steps We encourage you to try out this new feature and let us know your feedback. For more information: Review our Azure SQL Database Elastic Pools documentation. Review DMS automation module Az.DataMigration in Azure Powershell. Review DMS automation commands in module az datamigration in Azure CLI. Review the samples documented in the Data Migration Sample Repository. Thank you for your continued support and happy migrating!SQL Migration assessments now include Next-gen General Purpose Azure SQL MI
Announcing the inclusion of the Next-gen General Purpose service tier in migration assessments for SQL Server migration to Azure SQL Managed Instance. All database migration tooling includes this capability now. This service tier is more customizable, allowing the configuration to be tailored more closely to the resource requirements.
