Managed Identity Support for Azure SQL Database Import & Export services (preview)
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 operations with no passwords, storage keys or SAS tokens. With this preview, customers can choose to use either a single user-assigned managed identity (UAMI) for both SQL and Storage permissions or assign separate UAMIs, one for the Azure SQL logical server and another for the Storage account, for full separation of duties. At a glance: Run Import/Export using a user-assigned managed identity (UAMI). Use one identity for both SQL and Storage, or split them if you prefer tighter scoping. Works in the portal, REST, Azure CLI, and PowerShell. Why this matters: Managed identity support makes SQL migrations simpler and safer, no passwords, storage keys, or SAS tokens. By leveraging managed identity when integrating Import/Export into a pipeline, you streamline access management and enhance security: permissions are granted directly to the identity, reducing manual credential handling and the risk of exposing sensitive information. This keeps operations efficient and secure, without secrets embedded in scripts You’ve got two straightforward options: One UAMI for everything (simplest setup). Two UAMIs, one for SQL and one for Storage, recommended if you wish to maintain more strictly defined permissions. Getting started: Create a user-assigned managed identity (UAMI) Decide up front whether you want one identity end-to-end, or two identities (SQL vs Storage) for separation of duties. Attach the UAMI to the Azure SQL logical server On the server Identity blade, add the UAMI so the Import/Export job can run as that identity. Set the server’s Microsoft Entra ID admin to the UAMI In Microsoft Entra ID > Set admin, select the UAMI. This is what lets the workflow authenticate to SQL without a password. Grant Storage access Use Storage Blob Data Reader for import and Storage Blob Data Contributor for export, assigned in Access control (IAM). If you can, scope the assignment to the container that holds the .bacpac. Pass resource IDs (not names) in your calls In REST/CLI/PowerShell, you pass the UAMI resource ID as the value of administratorLogin (SQL identity) and storageKey (Storage identity), and set authenticationType / storageKeyType to ManagedIdentity. administratorLogin → UAMI resource ID used for SQL auth storageKey → UAMI resource ID used for Storage authauthenticationType / storageKeyType → ManagedIdentity Run the import/export job Kick it off from the portal, REST, Azure CLI, or PowerShell. From there, the service uses the identity you selected to reach both SQL and Storage. Portal experience In the Azure portal, you can choose Authentication type = Managed identity and select the user-assigned managed identity to use for the operation. Figure 1: Azure portal Import/Export experience with Managed identity authentication selected. Notes This preview supports user-assigned managed identities (UAMIs). For least privilege, scope Storage roles to the specific container used for the .bacpac file and use two user-assigned managed identities (UAMIs), one for SQL and one for the storage. Sample 1: REST API — Export using one UAMI: $exportBody = "{ `n `"storageKeyType`": `"ManagedIdentity`", `n `"storageKey`": `"${managedIdentityServerResourceId}`", `n `"storageUri`": `"${storageUri}`", `n `"administratorLogin`": `"${managedIdentityServerResourceId}`", `n `"authenticationType`": `"ManagedIdentity`" `n}" $export = Invoke-AzRestMethod -Method POST -Path "/subscriptions/${subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/${resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.Sql/servers/${serverName}/databases/${databaseName}/export?api-version=2024-05-01-preview" -Payload $exportBody # Poll operation status Invoke-AzRestMethod -Method GET $export.Headers.Location.AbsoluteUri Sample 2: REST API — Import to a new server using one UAMI: $serverName = "sql-mi-demo-target" $databaseName = "sqldb-mi-demo-target" # Same UAMI for SQL auth + Storage access $importBody = "{ `n `"operationMode`": `"Import`", `n `"administratorLogin`": `"${managedIdentityServerResourceId}`", `n `"authenticationType`": `"ManagedIdentity`", `n `"storageKeyType`": `"ManagedIdentity`", `n `"storageKey`": `"${managedIdentityServerResourceId}`", `n `"storageUri`": `"${storageUri}`", `n `"databaseName`": `"${databaseName}`" `n}" $import = Invoke-AzRestMethod -Method POST -Path "/subscriptions/${subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/${resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.Sql/servers/${serverName}/databases/${databaseName}/import?api-version=2024-05-01-preview" -Payload $importBody # Poll operation status Invoke-AzRestMethod -Method GET $import.Headers.Location.AbsoluteUri Sample 3: PowerShell — Export using two UAMIs: # Server UAMI for SQL auth, Storage UAMI for storage access New-AzSqlDatabaseExport -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -DatabaseName $databaseName -ServerName $serverName -StorageKeyType ManagedIdentity -StorageKey $managedIdentityStorageResourceId -StorageUri $storageUri -AuthenticationType ManagedIdentity -AdministratorLogin $managedIdentityServerResourceId Sample 4: PowerShell — Import to a new server using two UAMIs: New-AzSqlDatabaseImport -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -DatabaseName $databaseName -ServerName $serverName -DatabaseMaxSizeBytes $databaseSizeInBytes -StorageKeyType "ManagedIdentity" -StorageKey $managedIdentityStorageResourceId -StorageUri $storageUri -Edition $edition -ServiceObjectiveName $serviceObjectiveName -AdministratorLogin $managedIdentityServerResourceId -AuthenticationType ManagedIdentity Sample 5: Azure CLI — Export using two UAMIs: az sql db export -s $serverName -n $databaseName -g $resourceGroupName --auth-type ManagedIdentity -u $managedIdentityServerResourceId --storage-key $managedIdentityStorageResourceId --storage-key-type ManagedIdentity --storage-uri $storageUri Sample 6: Azure CLI — Import to a new server using two UAMIs: az sql db import -s $serverName -n $databaseName -g $resourceGroupName --auth-type ManagedIdentity -u $managedIdentityServerResourceId --storage-key $managedIdentityStorageResourceId --storage-key-type ManagedIdentity --storage-uri $storageUrib For more information and samples, please check Tutorial: Use managed identity with Azure SQL import and export (preview)
Why Developers and DBAs love SQL’s Dynamic Data Masking (Series-Part 1)
Dynamic Data Masking (DDM) is one of those SQL features (available in SQL Server, Azure SQL DB, Azure SQL MI, SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric) that both developers and DBAs can rally behind. Why? Because it delivers a simple, built-in way to protect sensitive data—like phone numbers, emails, or IDs—without rewriting application logic or duplicating security rules across layers. With just a single line of T-SQL, you can configure masking directly at the column level, ensuring that non-privileged users see only obfuscated values while privileged users retain full access. This not only streamlines development but also supports compliance with data privacy regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, etc. by minimizing exposure to personally identifiable information (PII). In this first post of our DDM series, we’ll walk through a real-world scenario using the default masking function to show how easy it is to implement and how much development effort it can save. Scenario: Hiding customer phone numbers from support queries Imagine you have a support application where agents can look up customer profiles. They need to know if a phone number exists for the customer but shouldn’t see the actual digits for privacy. In a traditional approach, a developer might implement custom logic in the app (or a SQL view) to replace phone numbers with placeholders like “XXXX” for non-privileged users. This adds complexity and duplicate logic across the app. With DDM’s default masking, the database can handle this automatically. By applying a mask to the phone number column, any query by a non-privileged user will return a generic masked value (e.g. “XXXX”) instead of the real number. The support agent gets the information they need (that a number is on file) without revealing the actual phone number, and the developer writes zero masking code in the app. This not only simplifies the application codebase but also ensures consistent data protection across all query access paths. As Microsoft’s documentation puts it, DDM lets you control how much sensitive data to reveal “with minimal effect on the application layer” – exactly what our scenario achieves. Using the ‘Default’ Mask in T-SQL : The ‘Default’ masking function is the simplest mask: it fully replaces the actual value with a fixed default based on data type. For text data, that default is XXXX. Let’s apply this to our phone number example. The following T-SQL snippet works in Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL MI and SQL Server: SQL -- Step 1: Create the table with a default mask on the Phone column CREATE TABLE SupportCustomers ( CustomerID INT PRIMARY KEY, Name NVARCHAR(100), Phone NVARCHAR(15) MASKED WITH (FUNCTION = 'default()') -- Apply default masking ); GO -- Step 2: Insert sample data INSERT INTO SupportCustomers (CustomerID, Name, Phone) VALUES (1, 'Alice Johnson', '222-555-1234'); GO -- Step 3: Create a non-privileged user (no login for simplicity) CREATE USER SupportAgent WITHOUT LOGIN; GO -- Step 4: Grant SELECT permission on the table to the user GRANT SELECT ON SupportCustomers TO SupportAgent; GO -- Step 5: Execute a SELECT as the non-privileged user EXECUTE AS USER = 'SupportAgent'; SELECT Name, Phone FROM SupportCustomers WHERE CustomerID = 1 Alternatively, you can use Azure Portal to configure masking as shown in the following screenshot: Expected result: The query above would return Alice’s name and a masked phone number. Instead of seeing 222-555-1234, the Phone column would show XXXX. Alice’s actual number remains safely stored in the database, but it’s dynamically obscured for the support agent’s query. Meanwhile, privileged users such as administrator or db_owner which has CONTROL permission on the database or user with proper UNMASK permission would see the real phone number when running the same query. How this helps Developers : By pushing the masking logic down to the database, developers and DBAs avoid writing repetitive masking code in every app or report that touches this data. In our scenario, without DDM you might implement a check in the application like: If user_role == “Support”, then show “XXXX” for phone number, else show full phone. With DDM, such conditional code isn’t needed – the database takes care of it. This means: Less application code to write and maintain for masking Consistent masking everywhere (whether data is accessed via app, report, or ad-hoc query). Quick changes to masking rules in one place if requirements change, without hunting through application code. From a security standpoint, DDM reduces the risk of accidental data exposure and helps in compliance scenarios where personal data must be protected in lower environments or by certain roles, while reducing the developer effort drastically. In the next posts of this series, we’ll explore other masking functions (like Email, Partial, and Random etc) with different scenarios. By the end, you’ll see how each built-in mask can be applied to make data security and compliance more developer-friendly! Reference Links : Dynamic Data Masking - SQL Server | Microsoft Learn Dynamic Data Masking - Azure SQL Database & Azure SQL Managed Instance & Azure Synapse Analytics | Microsoft Learn
Improving Azure SQL Database reliability with accelerated database recovery in tempdb
We are pleased to announce that in Azure SQL Database, accelerated database recovery is now enabled in the tempdb database to bring instant transaction rollback and aggressive log truncation for transactions in tempdb. The same improvement is coming to SQL Server and Azure SQL Managed Instance.Azure Data Studio Retirement
We’re announcing the upcoming retirement of Azure Data Studio (ADS) on February 6, 2025, as we focus on delivering a modern, streamlined SQL development experience. ADS will remain supported until February 28, 2026, giving developers ample time to transition. This decision aligns with our commitment to simplifying SQL development by consolidating efforts on Visual Studio Code (VS Code) with the MSSQL extension, a powerful and versatile tool designed for modern developers. Why Retire Azure Data Studio? Azure Data Studio has been an essential tool for SQL developers, but evolving developer needs and the rise of more versatile platforms like VS Code have made it the right time to transition. Here’s why: Focus on innovation VS Code, widely adopted across the developer community, provides a robust platform for delivering advanced features like cutting-edge schema management and improved query execution. Streamlined tools Consolidating SQL development on VS Code eliminates duplication, reduces engineering maintenance overhead, and accelerates feature delivery, ensuring developers have access to the latest innovations. Why Transition to Visual Studio Code? VS Code is the #1 developer tool, trusted by millions worldwide. It is a modern, versatile platform that meets the evolving demands of SQL and application developers. By transitioning, you gain access to cutting-edge tools, seamless workflows, and an expansive ecosystem designed to enhance productivity and innovation. We’re committed to meeting developers where they are, providing a modern SQL development experience within VS Code. Here’s how: Modern development environment VS Code is a lightweight, extensible, and community-supported code editor trusted by millions of developers. It provides: Regular updates. An active extension marketplace. A seamless cross-platform experience for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Comprehensive SQL features With the MSSQL extension in VS Code, you can: Execute queries faster with filtering, sorting, and export options for JSON, Excel, and CSV. Manage schemas visually with Table Designer, Object Explorer, and support for keys, indexes, and constraints. Connect to SQL Server, Azure SQL (all offerings), and SQL database in Fabric using an improved Connection Dialog. Streamline development with scripting, object modifications, and a unified SQL experience. Optimize performance with an enhanced Query Results Pane and execution plans. Integrate with DevOps and CI/CD pipelines using SQL Database Projects. Stay tuned for upcoming features—we’re continuously building new experiences based on feedback from the community. Make sure to follow the MSSQL repository on GitHub to stay updated and contribute to the project! Streamlined workflow VS Code supports cloud-native development, real-time collaboration, and thousands of extensions to enhance your workflows. Transitioning to Visual Studio Code: What You Need to Know We understand that transitioning tools can raise concerns, but moving from Azure Data Studio (ADS) to Visual Studio Code (VS Code) with the MSSQL extension is designed to be straightforward and hassle-free. Here’s why you can feel confident about this transition: No Loss of Functionality If you use ADS to connect to Azure SQL databases, SQL Server, or SQL database in Fabric, you’ll find that the MSSQL extension supports these scenarios seamlessly. Your database projects, queries, and scripts created in ADS are fully compatible with VS Code and can be opened without additional migration steps. Familiar features, enhanced experience VS Code provides advanced tools like improved query execution, modern schema management, and CI/CD integration. Additionally, alternative tools and extensions are available to replace ADS capabilities like SQL Server Agent and Schema Compare. Cross-Platform and extensible Like ADS, VS Code runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring a consistent experience across operating systems. Its extensibility allows you to adapt it to your workflow with thousands of extensions. If you have further questions or need detailed guidance, visit the ADS Retirement page. The page includes step-by-step instructions, recommended alternatives, and additional resources. Continued Support With the Azure Data Studio retirement, we’re committed to supporting you during this transition: Documentation: Find detailed guides, tutorials, and FAQs on the ADS Retirement page. Community Support: Engage with the active Visual Studio Code community for tips and solutions. You can also explore forums like Stack Overflow. GitHub Issues: If you encounter any issues, submit a request or report bugs on the MSSQL extension’s GitHub repository. Microsoft Support: For critical issues, reach out to Microsoft Support directly through your account. Transitioning to VS Code opens the door to a more modern and versatile SQL development experience. We encourage you to explore the new possibilities and start your journey today! Conclusion Azure Data Studio has served the SQL community well,but the Azure Data Studio retirement marks an opportunity to embrace the modern capabilities of Visual Studio Code. Transitioning now ensures you’re equipped with cutting-edge tools and a future-ready platform to enhance your SQL development experience. For a detailed guide on ADS retirement , visit aka.ms/ads-retirement. To get started with the MSSQL extension, check out the official documentation. We’re excited to see what you build with VS Code!Securing Azure SQL Database with Microsoft Entra Password-less Authentication: Migration Guide
The Secure Future Initiative is Microsoft’s strategic framework for embedding security into every layer of the data platform—from infrastructure to identity. As part of this initiative, Microsoft Entra authentication for Azure SQL Database offers a modern, password less approach to access control that aligns with Zero Trust principles. By leveraging Entra identities, customers benefit from stronger security postures through multifactor authentication, centralized identity governance, and seamless integration with managed identities and service principals. Onboarding Entra authentication enables organizations to reduce reliance on passwords, simplify access management, and improve auditability across hybrid and cloud environments. With broad support across tools and platforms, and growing customer adoption, Entra authentication is a forward-looking investment in secure, scalable data access. Migration Steps Overview Organizations utilizing SQL authentication can strengthen database security by migrating to Entra Id-based authentication. The following steps outline the process. Identify your logins and users – Review the existing SQL databases, along with all related users and logins, to assess what’s needed for migration. Enable Entra auth on Azure SQL logical servers by assigning a Microsoft Entra admin. Identify all permissions associated with the SQL logins & Database users. Recreate SQL logins and users with Microsoft Entra identities. Upgrade application drivers and libraries to min versions & update application connections to SQL Databases to use Entra based managed identities. Update deployments for SQL logical server resources to have Microsoft Entra-only authentication enabled. For all existing Azure SQL Databases, flip to Entra‑only after validation. Enforce Entra-only for all Azure SQL Databases with Azure Policies (deny). Step 1: Identify your logins and users - Use SQL Auditing Consider using SQL Audit to monitor which identities are accessing your databases. Alternatively, you may use other methods or skip this step if you already have full visibility of all your logins. Configure server‑level SQL Auditing. For more information on turning the server level auditing: Configure Auditing for Azure SQL Database series - part1 | Microsoft Community Hub SQL Audit can be enabled on the logical server, which will enable auditing for all existing and new user databases. When you set up auditing, the audit log will be written to your storage account with the SQL Database audit log format. Use sys.fn_get_audit_file_v2 to query the audit logs in SQL. You can join the audit data with sys.server_principals and sys.database_principals to view users and logins connecting to your databases. The following query is an example of how to do this: SELECT (CASE WHEN database_principal_id > 0 THEN dp.type_desc ELSE NULL END) AS db_user_type , (CASE WHEN server_principal_id > 0 THEN sp.type_desc ELSE NULL END) AS srv_login_type , server_principal_name , server_principal_sid , server_principal_id , database_principal_name , database_principal_id , database_name , SUM(CASE WHEN succeeded = 1 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS sucessful_logins , SUM(CASE WHEN succeeded = 0 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS failed_logins FROM sys.fn_get_audit_file_v2( '<Storage_endpoint>/<Container>/<ServerName>', DEFAULT, DEFAULT, '2023-11-17T08:40:40Z', '2023-11-17T09:10:40Z') -- join on database principals (users) metadata LEFT OUTER JOIN sys.database_principals dp ON database_principal_id = dp.principal_id -- join on server principals (logins) metadata LEFT OUTER JOIN sys.server_principals sp ON server_principal_id = sp.principal_id -- filter to actions DBAF (Database Authentication Failed) and DBAS (Database Authentication Succeeded) WHERE (action_id = 'DBAF' OR action_id = 'DBAS') GROUP BY server_principal_name , server_principal_sid , server_principal_id , database_principal_name , database_principal_id , database_name , dp.type_desc , sp.type_desc Step 2: Enable Microsoft Entra authentication (assign admin) Follow this to enable Entra authentication and assign a Microsoft Entra admin at the server. This is mixed mode; existing SQL auth continues to work. WARNING: Do NOT enable Entra‑only (azureADOnlyAuthentications) yet. That comes in Step 7. Entra admin Recommendation: For production environments, it is advisable to utilize an PIM Enabled Entra group as the server administrator for enhanced access control. Step 3: Identity & document existing permissions (SQL Logins & Users) Retrieve a list of all your SQL auth logins. Make sure to run on the master database.: SELECT * FROM sys.sql_logins List all SQL auth users, run the below query on all user Databases. This would list the users per Database. SELECT * FROM sys.database_principals WHERE TYPE = 'S' Note: You may need only the column ‘name’ to identify the users. List permissions per SQL auth user: SELECT database_principals.name , database_principals.principal_id , database_principals.type_desc , database_permissions.permission_name , CASE WHEN class = 0 THEN 'DATABASE' WHEN class = 3 THEN 'SCHEMA: ' + SCHEMA_NAME(major_id) WHEN class = 4 THEN 'Database Principal: ' + USER_NAME(major_id) ELSE OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(database_permissions.major_id) + '.' + OBJECT_NAME(database_permissions.major_id) END AS object_name , columns.name AS column_name , database_permissions.state_desc AS permission_type FROM sys.database_principals AS database_principals INNER JOIN sys.database_permissions AS database_permissions ON database_principals.principal_id = database_permissions.grantee_principal_id LEFT JOIN sys.columns AS columns ON database_permissions.major_id = columns.object_id AND database_permissions.minor_id = columns.column_id WHERE type_desc = 'SQL_USER' ORDER BY database_principals.name Step 4: Create SQL users for your Microsoft Entra identities You can create users(preferred) for all Entra identities. Learn more on Create user The "FROM EXTERNAL PROVIDER" clause in TSQL distinguishes Entra users from SQL authentication users. The most straightforward approach to adding Entra users is to use a managed identity for Azure SQL and grant the required three Graph API permissions. These permissions are necessary for Azure SQL to validate Entra users. User.Read.All: Allows access to Microsoft Entra user information. GroupMember.Read.All: Allows access to Microsoft Entra group information. Application.Read.ALL: Allows access to Microsoft Entra service principal (application) information. For creating Entra users with non-unique display names, use Object_Id in the Create User TSQL: -- Retrieve the Object Id from the Entra blade from the Azure portal. CREATE USER [myapp4466e] FROM EXTERNAL PROVIDER WITH OBJECT_ID = 'aaaaaaaa-0000-1111-2222-bbbbbbbbbbbb' For more information on finding the Entra Object ID: Find tenant ID, domain name, user object ID - Partner Center | Microsoft Learn Alternatively, if granting these API permissions to SQL is undesirable, you may add Entra users directly using the T-SQL commands provided below. In these scenarios, Azure SQL will bypass Entra user validation. Create SQL user for managed identity or an application - This T-SQL code snippet establishes a SQL user for an application or managed identity. Please substitute the `MSIname` and `clientId` (note: use the client id, not the object id), variables with the Display Name and Client ID of your managed identity or application. -- Replace the two variables with the managed identity display name and client ID declare @MSIname sysname = '<Managed Identity/App Display Name>' declare @clientId uniqueidentifier = '<Managed Identity/App Client ID>'; -- convert the guid to the right type and create the SQL user declare @castClientId nvarchar(max) = CONVERT(varchar(max), convert (varbinary(16), @clientId), 1); -- Construct command: CREATE USER [@MSIname] WITH SID = @castClientId, TYPE = E; declare nvarchar(max) = N'CREATE USER [' + @MSIname + '] WITH SID = ' + @castClientId + ', TYPE = E;' EXEC (@cmd) For more information on finding the Entra Client ID: Register a client application in Microsoft Entra ID for the Azure Health Data Services | Microsoft Learn Create SQL user for Microsoft Entra user - Use this T-SQL to create a SQL user for a Microsoft Entra account. Enter your username and object Id: -- Replace the two variables with the MS Entra user alias and object ID declare sysname = '<MS Entra user alias>'; -- (e.g., username@contoso.com) declare uniqueidentifier = '<User Object ID>'; -- convert the guid to the right type declare @castObjectId nvarchar(max) = CONVERT(varchar(max), convert (varbinary(16), ), 1); -- Construct command: CREATE USER [@username] WITH SID = @castObjectId, TYPE = E; declare nvarchar(max) = N'CREATE USER [' + + '] WITH SID = ' + @castObjectId + ', TYPE = E;' EXEC (@cmd) Create SQL user for Microsoft Entra group - This T-SQL snippet creates a SQL user for a Microsoft Entra group. Set groupName and object Id to your values. -- Replace the two variables with the MS Entra group display name and object ID declare @groupName sysname = '<MS Entra group display name>'; -- (e.g., ContosoUsersGroup) declare uniqueidentifier = '<Group Object ID>'; -- convert the guid to the right type and create the SQL user declare @castObjectId nvarchar(max) = CONVERT(varchar(max), convert (varbinary(16), ), 1); -- Construct command: CREATE USER [@groupName] WITH SID = @castObjectId, TYPE = X; declare nvarchar(max) = N'CREATE USER [' + @groupName + '] WITH SID = ' + @castObjectId + ', TYPE = X;' EXEC (@cmd) For more information on finding the Entra Object ID: Find tenant ID, domain name, user object ID - Partner Center | Microsoft Learn Validate SQL user creation - When a user is created correctly, the EntraID column in this query shows the user's original MS Entra ID. select CAST(sid as uniqueidentifier) AS EntraID, * from sys.database_principals Assign permissions to Entra based users – After creating Entra users, assign them SQL permissions to read or write by either using GRANT statements or adding them to roles like db_datareader. Refer to your documentation from Step 3, ensuring you include all necessary user permissions for new Entra SQL users and that security policies remain enforced. Step 5: Update Programmatic Connections Change your application connection strings to managed identities for SQL authentication and test each app for Microsoft Entra compatibility. Upgrade your drivers to these versions or newer. JDBC driver version 7.2.0 (Java) ODBC driver version 17.3 (C/C++, COBOL, Perl, PHP, Python) OLE DB driver version 18.3.0 (COM-based applications) Microsoft.Data.SqlClient 5.2.2+ (ADO.NET) Microsoft.EntityFramework.SqlServer 6.5.0 (Entity Framework) System.Data.SqlClient(SDS) doesn't support managed identity; switch to Microsoft.Data.SqlClient(MDS). If you need to port your applications from SDS to MDS the following cheat sheet will be helpful: https://github.com/dotnet/SqlClient/blob/main/porting-cheat-sheet.md. Microsoft.Data.SqlClient also takes a dependency on these packages & most notably the MSAL for .NET (Version 4.56.0+). Here is an example of Azure web application connecting to Azure SQL, using managed identity. Step 6: Validate No Local Auth Traffic Be sure to switch all your connections to managed identity before you redeploy your Azure SQL logical servers with Microsoft Entra-only authentication turned on. Repeat the use of SQL Audit, just as you did in Step 1, but now to confirm that every connection has moved away from SQL authentication. Once your server is up and running with only Entra authentication, any connections still based on SQL authentication will not work, which could disrupt services. Test your systems thoroughly to verify that everything operates correctly. Step 7: Enable Microsoft Entra‑only & disable local auth Once all your connections & applications are built to use managed identity, you can disable the SQL Authentication, by turning the Entra-only authentication via Azure portal, or using the APIs. Step 8: Enforce at scale (Azure Policy) Additionally, after successful migration and validation, it is recommended to deploy the built-in Azure Policy across your subscriptions to ensure that all SQL resources do not use local authentication. During resource creation, Azure SQL instances will be required to have Microsoft Entra-only authentication enabled. This requirement can be enforced through Azure policies. Best Practices for Entra-Enabled Azure SQL Applications Use exponential backoff with decorrelated jitter for retrying transient SQL errors, and set a max retry cap to avoid resource drain. Separate retry logic for connection setup and query execution. Cache and proactively refresh Entra tokens before expiration. Use Microsoft.Data.SqlClient v3.0+ with Azure.Identity for secure token management. Enable connection pooling and use consistent connection strings. Set appropriate timeouts to prevent hanging operations. Handle token/auth failures with targeted remediation, not blanket retries. Apply least-privilege identity principles; avoid global/shared tokens. Monitor retry counts, failures, and token refreshes via telemetry. Maintain auditing for compliance and security. Enforce TLS 1.2+ (Encrypt=True, TrustServerCertificate=False). Prefer pooled over static connections. Log SQL exception codes for precise error handling. Keep libraries and drivers up to date for latest features and resilience. References Use this resource to troubleshoot issues with Entra authentication (previously known as Azure AD Authentication): Troubleshooting problems related to Azure AD authentication with Azure SQL DB and DW | Microsoft Community Hub To add Entra users from an external tenant, invite them as guest users to the Azure SQL Database's Entra administrator tenant. For more information on adding Entra guest users: Quickstart: Add a guest user and send an invitation - Microsoft Entra External ID | Microsoft Learn Conclusion Migrating to Microsoft Entra password-less authentication for Azure SQL Database is a strategic investment in security, compliance, and operational efficiency. By following this guide and adopting best practices, organizations can reduce risk, improve resilience, and future-proof their data platform in alignment with Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative.
Multiple secondaries for failover groups is now in public preview
Failover groups for Azure SQL Database is a business continuity solution that lets you manage the replication and failover of databases to another Azure SQL logical server. With failover groups, you get automatic endpoint redirection, so you don't have to change the connection string for your application after a geo-failover—connections are automatically routed to the current primary. Until now, Azure SQL failover groups have only supported one secondary. We're excited to announce that Azure SQL Database failover groups support for up to four secondaries is now available in public preview. This enhancement gives you greater flexibility for disaster recovery, regional read scale-out, and complex high-availability scenarios. What's New? Create up to four secondaries for each failover group, deployed across the same or different Azure regions. Use the additional secondaries to add read scale-out capabilities to additional regions, adding flexibility for read-only workloads. Greater flexibility for disaster recovery planning with multiple failover targets. Improved resilience by distributing secondaries across multiple geographic regions. Facilitate migration to another region without sacrificing existing disaster recovery protection. How to Get Started Getting started with multiple secondaries in Azure SQL failover groups is straightforward. In the Azure Portal, the process to create a failover group remains the same. You can add additional secondaries using the process below. Adding Additional Secondary Servers to a Failover Group in the Portal Go to your Azure SQL Database logical server in the Azure portal. Open the "Failover groups" blade under "Data management". Select an existing failover group. Click the "Add server" menu item to add additional secondary servers. A side panel opens displaying the list of secondary servers and a dropdown to select which server should operate as the read-only listener endpoint target. The additional secondary server can be in the same or different Azure region as the primary. NOTE: The read-only listener endpoint dropdown lists all existing secondary servers as well as the secondary server being added. This allows you to designate which secondary server should receive read-only traffic routed through the `<fog-name>.secondary.database.windows.net` endpoint. However, the server selected as the read-only listener endpoint target should not be in the same region as the primary server if you intend to serve read workloads with that endpoint. After selecting the additional secondary and specifying your read-only listener endpoint target, click "Select" on the side panel and click "Save" in the main menu to apply your failover group configuration. The additional secondary will be added and seeding of databases in the failover group will begin to that additional secondary. You can modify your read-only listener endpoint target with the "Edit configuration" menu option. TIP: If you want zone redundancy enabled for the secondary databases, ensure that the secondary servers are in regions that support availability zones and configure the zone redundancy setting appropriately. Using PowerShell Creating a failover group with multiple secondaries can also be done with PowerShell. Example - Create a failover group with multiple secondaries: New-AzSqlDatabaseFailoverGroup ` -ResourceGroupName "myrg" ` -ServerName "primaryserver" ` -PartnerServerName "secondaryserver1" ` -FailoverGroupName "myfailovergroup" ` -FailoverPolicy "Manual" ` -PartnerServerList @("secondary_uri_1", "secondary_uri_2", "secondary_uri_3", "secondary_uri_4") ` -ReadOnlyEndpointTargetServer "secondary_uri_1" where "secondary_uri_n" is in the form below and secondaryserver1 is also included in the list "/subscriptions/your_sub_guid/resourceGroups/your_resource_group/providers/Microsoft.Sql/servers/your_server_name" Example - Add additional secondary servers to an existing failover group: Set-AzSqlDatabaseFailoverGroup ` -ResourceGroupName "myrg" ` -ServerName "primaryserver" ` -FailoverGroupName "myfailovergroup" ` -FailoverPolicy "Manual" ` -PartnerServerList @("secondary_uri_1", "secondary_uri_2", "secondary_uri_3", "secondary_uri_4") ` -ReadOnlyEndpointTargetServer "secondary_uri_1" where "secondary_uri_n" is in the form below and secondaryserver1 is also included in the list "/subscriptions/your_sub_guid/resourceGroups/your_resource_group/providers/Microsoft.Sql/servers/your_server_name" Performing a Failover With multiple secondaries, you can choose which secondary to promote to primary during a failover. Using the Portal Navigate to your SQL server's Failover groups blade. Select the failover group you want to fail over. In the servers list, locate the secondary server you want to promote. Click the ellipsis menu (...) next to the server. Select Failover for a planned failover (with full data synchronization) or Forced failover for an unplanned failover (potential data loss). TIP: The ellipsis menu also includes a Remove server option, allowing you to remove a secondary server from the failover group. Using PowerShell For PowerShell, use the `Switch-AzSqlDatabaseFailoverGroup` cmdlet to perform a failover. Example: Switch-AzSqlDatabaseFailoverGroup ` -ResourceGroupName "myrg" ` -ServerName "secondaryserver1" ` -FailoverGroupName "myfailovergroup" Key Benefits Enhanced Disaster Recovery - Multiple geo-secondaries provide additional failover targets, reducing the risk of total service disruption. Regional Read Scale-Out - Distribute read-only workloads across multiple regions. Flexible HA/DR Architecture - Design your high-availability architecture based on your specific business requirements. Ease migrations to another region - Leverage the additional secondary to migrate to a different Azure region while maintaining DR protection. Limitations & Notes You can create up to four secondaries per failover group. Each secondary must be hosted on a different logical server from the primary. Secondary servers can be in the same region as the primary or in different regions. The read-only listener endpoint target must be in a different region from the primary if you want to make use of the read-only listener for read workloads. The failover group name must be globally unique within the `.database.windows.net` domain. Chaining (creating a geo-replica of a geo-replica) is not supported. Secondary databases in a failover group inherit the backup storage redundancy and zone redundancy configuration from the primary, depending on the service tier. For non-Hyperscale databases: Secondary databases will not have high availability (zone redundancy) enabled by default. Enable it after the failover group is created. For Hyperscale databases: Secondary databases inherit the high availability settings from their respective primary databases. Best Practices Use paired regions when possible—failover groups in paired regions have better performance compared to unpaired regions. Test your failover procedures regularly using planned failovers to ensure your disaster recovery plan works as expected. Monitor replication lag using `sys.dm_geo_replication_link_status` or the Replication Lag metric in Azure Monitor to ensure your secondaries are synchronized. Consider your RTO and RPO requirements when designing your failover group architecture. Use the read-write listener (`<fog-name>.database.windows.net`) for write workloads and the read-only listener (`<fog-name>.secondary.database.windows.net`) for read workloads to take advantage of the automatic endpoint redirection after failovers. Use customer-managed failover group policy to ensure your RTO and RPO are in your control. Frequently Asked Questions What services tiers are supported for multiple secondaries in failover group? The following service tiers are supported: Standard General Purpose Premium Business Critical Hyperscale When there is more than one secondary, how does read only endpoint work? While creating a failover group with more than one secondary you must designate one of the secondaries as the read only endpoint target. All read only connections will be routed to the designated secondary. If a failover group is created with just one secondary, then the read only endpoint will default to the only available secondary. If I have created multiple secondaries for failover group, can I update the read only endpoint at any time? Yes, you can "Edit configuration" in the portal or use PowerShell to change the read-only listener endpoint target. How does Auto DR work when multiple secondaries exist for a failover group? The primary server (read write endpoint) and secondary server (designated as read only endpoint) will be used as a pair for Auto DR failover and endpoints will be swapped upon failover. Learn More Failover groups overview & best practices - Azure SQL Database | Microsoft Learn Configure a failover group for Azure SQL Database | Microsoft Learn Active Geo-Replication - Azure SQL Database | Microsoft Learn Business continuity overview - Azure SQL Database | Microsoft Learn PowerShell - New Failover Group PowerShell - Modify Failover Group PowerShell - Perform a failoverGeo-Replication and Transparent Data Encryption Key Management in Azure SQL Database
Transparent data encryption (TDE) in Azure SQL with customer-managed key (CMK) enables Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) scenario for data protection at rest. With customer-managed TDE, the customer is responsible for and in a full control of a key lifecycle management (key creation, upload, rotation, deletion), key usage permissions, and auditing of operations on keys. Geo-replication and Failover Groups in Azure SQL Database creates readable secondary replicas across different regions to support disaster recovery and high availability. There are several considerations when configuring geo-replication for Azure SQL logical servers that use Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) with Customer-Managed Keys (CMK). This blog post provides detailed information about setting up geo-replication for TDE-enabled databases. Understanding the difference between a TDE protector and a server/database Key To understand the geo-replication considerations, I first need to explain the roles of the TDE protector and a server key. The TDE protector is the key responsible for encrypting the Database Encryption Key (DEK), which in turn encrypts the actual database files and transaction logs. It sits at the top of the encryption hierarchy. A server or database key is a broader concept that refers to any key registered at the server or database level in Azure SQL. One of the registered server or database keys is designated as the TDE protector. Multiple keys can be registered, but only one acts as the active protector at any given time. Geo-replication considerations Azure Key Vault considerations In active geo-replication and failover group scenarios, the primary and secondary SQL logical servers can be linked to an Azure Key Vault in any region — they do not need to be located in the same region. Connecting both SQL logical servers to the same key vault reduces the potential for discrepancies in key material that can occur when using separate key vaults. Azure Key Vault incorporates multiple layers of redundancy to ensure the continued availability of keys and key vaults in the event of service or regional failures. The following diagram represents a configuration for paired region (primary and secondary) for an Azure Key Vault cross-failover with Azure SQL setup for geo-replication using a failover group. Azure SQL considerations The primary consideration is to ensure that the server or database keys are present on both the primary and secondary SQL logical servers or databases, and that appropriate permissions have been granted for these keys within Azure Key Vault. The TDE protector used on the primary does not need to be identical to the one used on the secondary. It is sufficient to have the same key material available on both the primary and secondary systems. You can add keys to a SQL logical server with the Azure Portal, PowerShell, Azure CLI or REST API. Assign user-assigned managed identities (UMI) to primary and secondary SQL servers for flexibility across regions and failover scenarios. Grant Get, WrapKey, UnwrapKey permissions to these identities on the key vault. For Azure Key Vaults using Azure RBAC for access configuration, the Key Vault Crypto Service Encryption User role is needed by the server identity to be able to use the key for encryption and decryption operations. Different encryption key combinations Based on interactions with customers and analysis of livesite incidents involving geo-replication with TDE CMK, we noticed that many clients do not configure the primary and secondary servers with the same TDE protector, due to differing compliance requirements. In this chapter, I will explain how you can set up a failover group with 2 different TDE protectors. This scenario will use TDECMK key as the TDE protector on the primary server (tdesql) and TDECMK2 key as the TDE protector on the secondary server (tdedr). As a sidenote, you can also enable the Auto-rotate key to allow end-to-end, zero-touch rotation of the TDE protector Both logical SQL Servers have access to the Azure Key Vault keys. Next step is to create the failover group and replicate 1 database called ContosoHR. The setup of the failover group failed because the CMK key from the primary server was (intentionally) not added to the secondary server. Adding a server key can easily be done with the Add-AzSqlServerKeyVaultKey command. For example: Add-AzSqlServerKeyVaultKey -KeyId 'https://xxxxx.vault.azure.net/keys/TDECMK/ 01234567890123456789012345678901' -ServerName 'tdedr' -ResourceGroupName 'TDEDemo' After the failover group setup, the sample database on the secondary server becomes available and uses the primary's CMK (TDECMK), regardless of the secondary's CMK configuration. You can verify this by running the following query both on primary and secondary server. SELECT DB_NAME(db_id()) AS database_name, dek.encryption_state, dek.encryption_state_desc, -- SQL 2019+ / Azure SQL dek.key_algorithm, dek.key_length, dek.encryptor_type, -- CERTIFICATE (service-managed) or ASYMMETRIC KEY (BYOK/CMK) dek.encryptor_thumbprint FROM sys.dm_database_encryption_keys AS dek WHERE database_id <> 2 ; database_name encryption_state_desc encryptor_type encryptor_thumbprint ContosoHR ENCRYPTED ASYMMETRIC KEY 0xC8F041FB93531FA26BF488740C9AC7D3B5827EF5 The encryptor_type column shows ASYMMETRIC KEY, which means the database uses a CMK for encryption. The encryptor_thumbprint should match on both the primary and secondary servers, indicating that the secondary database is encrypted using the CMK from the primary server. The TDE protector on the secondary server (TDECMK2) becomes active only in the event of a failover, when the primary and secondary server roles are reversed. As illustrated in the image below, the roles of my primary and secondary servers have been reversed. If the above query is executed again following a failover, the encryptor_thumbprint value will be different, which indicates that the database is now encrypted using the TDE protector (TDECMK2) from the secondary server. database_name encryption_state_desc encryptor_type encryptor_thumbprint ContosoHR ENCRYPTED ASYMMETRIC KEY 0x788E5ACA1001C87BA7354122B7D93B8B7894918D As previously mentioned, please ensure that the server or database keys are available on both the primary and secondary SQL logical servers or databases. Additionally, verify that the appropriate permissions for these keys have been granted within Azure Key Vault. This scenario is comparable to other configurations, such as: The primary server uses SMK while the secondary server uses CMK. The primary server uses CMK while the secondary server uses SMK. Conclusion Understanding the distinction between the TDE protector and server keys is essential for geo-replication with Azure SQL. The TDE protector encrypts the database encryption key, while server keys refer to any key registered at the server or database level in Azure SQL. For successful geo-replication setup and failover, all necessary keys must be created and available on both primary and secondary servers. It is possible and, in certain cases, required to configure different TDE protectors on replicas, as long as the key material is available on each server.Why ledger verification is non-negotiable
Data integrity isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the backbone of trust in any database system. With the ledger functionality in Azure SQL and SQL Server, organizations have a powerful way to ensure their data hasn’t been tampered with. But here’s the catch: many customers implement ledger tables yet skip the critical step of running the ledger verification procedure. This oversight can leave your data vulnerable and your compliance posture shaky. What is a database digest? Ledger is a feature that allows SQL Server, Azure SQL Database or Azure SQL Managed Instance to cryptographically link transactions in a tamper-evident manner. Think of it as a blockchain-like mechanism inside your database: every transaction is hashed and chained, creating a block. The hash of the latest block in the database ledger is called the database digest. It represents the state of all ledger tables in the database at the time when the block was generated. These digests can be stored externally, such as in immutable storage or Azure Confidential Ledger, to prevent tampering, providing an independent proof of integrity. How does ledger verification work? The ledger verification procedure compares the current state of your ledger tables against the stored digests. It recalculates hashes and validates the chain to confirm that no unauthorized changes have occurred. Without this step, you’re essentially trusting the ledger without verifying it, a dangerous assumption in environments where compliance and security matter. You can launch the verification by running the following stored procedure: DECLARE @digest_locations NVARCHAR(MAX) = (SELECT * FROM sys.database_ledger_digest_locations FOR JSON AUTO, INCLUDE_NULL_VALUES); SELECT @digest_locations as digest_locations; BEGIN TRY EXEC sys.sp_verify_database_ledger_from_digest_storage @digest_locations; SELECT 'Ledger verification succeeded.' AS Result; END TRY BEGIN CATCH THROW; END CATCH Why skipping verification is risky Many organizations assume that enabling ledger tables is enough. It’s not. If you don’t run verification: Tampering goes undetected: A malicious actor could alter historical data without triggering alarms. Compliance gaps: Regulatory frameworks often require proof of integrity, not just theoretical guarantees. False sense of security: Ledger without verification is like encryption without key management, half a solution. Benefits of regular verification Assurance of data integrity: Confirms that your ledger is intact and trustworthy. Audit readiness: Provides verifiable evidence for compliance audits. Early detection: Identifies anomalies before they become catastrophic breaches. Call to action If you’re using ledger tables in SQL Server or Azure SQL, make verification part of your operational routine. Schedule it. Automate it. Treat it as essential, not optional. Your data, your compliance, and your reputation depend on it.Introducing the Azure SQL hub: A simpler, guided entry into Azure SQL
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 Azure SQL or an experienced user, the hub helps you find the right service quickly and decide, without disrupting your existing workflows. For existing users: Your current workflows remain unchanged. The only visible update is a streamlined navigation pane where you access Azure SQL resources. For new users: Start from the Azure SQL hub home page. Get personalized recommendations by answering a few quick questions or chatting with Azure portal Copilot. Or compare services side by side and explore key resources, all without leaving the portal. This is one way to find it: Searching for "azure sql" in main search box or marketplace is also efficient way to get to Azure SQL hub Answer a few questions to get our recommendation and use Copilot to refine your requirements. Get a detailed side-by-side comparison without leaving the hub. Still deciding? Explore a selection of Azure SQL services for free. This option takes you straight to the resource creation page with a pre-applied free offer. Try the Azure SQL hub today in the Azure portal, and share your feedback in the comments!
