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!Lesson Learned #518:Configuring Database Watcher
Database Watcher was released in November 2024 and is a managed monitoring solution for databases. It is currently supported only for Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance. The setup process for both supported products is comparable. The below training video will feature setting up Database Watcher using SQL Authentication with a system-managed identity. The demo will also show how to set up a free Azure Data Explorer cluster and configure the necessary permissions to allow communication between Database Watcher and the ADX cluster. Several prerequisites will be shown in the demo that need to be configured. Please refer to the "Create and configure a database watcher - Azure SQL Database & SQL Managed Instance" documentation on Microsoft Learn. Additionally, an Azure Key Vault is required for SQL Authentication to store the local SQL user account and password. Please note that this step is not needed if Entra authentication is use. Additionally, we have a new video recorded by Kinye Yu about Configure Database Watcher with Entra ID and User managed Identity. Thanks for these videos Kinye Yu!!!!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.Always Encrypted Assessment and online encryption in SQL Server Management Studio 21
Discover the new Always Encrypted Assessment feature that simplifies the encryption process for your database columns. This powerful tool evaluates your tables and columns, identifying which ones are suitable for encryption and highlighting any that aren't due to data type or constraints. With detailed insights and the ability to export results, this feature streamlines your data protection strategy. Don't miss out on learning how to make the most of this innovative addition to SQL Server Management Studio 21!Extending Regular Expressions (Regex) Support on Azure SQL Managed Instance (MI)
We are happy to announce the Private Preview of Regular Expressions (Regex) support on Azure SQL Managed Instance (MI). This new feature brings powerful text processing capabilities to your SQL queries, enabling you to perform complex pattern matching and data manipulation with ease. Regex support in Azure SQL The Regex feature in Azure SQL follows the POSIX standard and is compatible with the standard regex syntax and supports a variety of regex functions, such as REGEXP_LIKE, REGEXP_COUNT, REGEXP_INSTR, REGEXP_REPLACE, and REGEXP_SUBSTR. The feature also supports case sensitivity, character classes, quantifiers, anchors, and capturing groups. Here are the functions and features supported: REGEXP_LIKE: Checks if a string matches a regular expression pattern. REGEXP_COUNT: Returns the number of times a pattern occurs in a string. REGEXP_INSTR: Returns the position of the first or the last (based on the specified option) occurrence of a pattern in a string. REGEXP_REPLACE: Replaces occurrences of a pattern in a string with another string. REGEXP_SUBSTR: Extracts a substring that matches a regular expression pattern. To start using Regex in Azure SQL MI, simply include the relevant Regex functions in your SQL queries. To learn more about the Regex functions, please visit this blog: https://aka.ms/regex-prpr-blog Getting Started To start using Regex feature in Azure SQL MI, please ensure to select “Always-up-to-date” update policy on the Additional Settings tab of instance create portal blade to get access to all new SQL engine features as soon as they are available in Azure. Join the Preview The Regex feature is currently in private preview in Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance (MI). If you are interested to participate in the private preview and try out the regex feature, please fill out this form: https://aka.ms/regex-preview-signup For more details, you can refer this blog - https://aka.ms/regex-prpr-blog, Feedback We value your feedback and suggestions as we continue to improve and enhance Azure SQL. Please share your thoughts and experiences about Regex feature with us through https://aka.ms/sqldbregex-feedback Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing how you leverage Regex to simplify and enhance your data processing tasks.Stream data changes from Azure SQL Database - a call for Private Preview of Change Event Streaming
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, modern, flexible and real-time data integration from various sources has become more important than ever. Organizations are increasingly relying on data-driven and real-time insights to make informed decisions, optimize operations, and drive innovation. In this context, we are excited to announce a private preview for Change Event Streaming, which enables you to stream your data changes from your SQL database directly into Azure Event Hubs. Starting from today, you can apply for the private preview program. Participants can test the functionality on Azure SQL Database and Azure Event Hubs, and support for more sources and destinations is planned. Participating in the private preview gives you an opportunity to work with the product team, test the functionality, provide your feedback and influence the final release. Note: CES can be tested on Azure SQL Database, and that includes its free offer. Typical use cases for Change Event Streaming are: Building event-driven systems on top of your relational databases, with minimal overhead and easy data integration. Data synchronization across systems, and more specifically, syncing data between microservices or keeping distributed systems in sync. Implementing real-time analytics on top of your relational data. Auditing and monitoring that requires tracking changes of sensitive data or logging specific events. Main advantages for using a message broker such as Azure Event Hubs, and Change Event Streaming are: Scalability, as message brokers are designed to handle high-throughput and can scale independently from a database. Decoupling, as systems downstream from a database and message broker are loosely coupled, enabling greater flexibility and easier maintenance. Multi-consumer support, as Azure Event Hubs allow multiple consumers to process the same data stream, enabling varied use cases from a single source. Real-Time integration, which enables seamless integration between OLTP systems and downstream systems for real-time data flow. If mentioned use cases and advantages resonate with requirements of your architectures, systems and solutions, then Change Event Streaming is the right choice for you. To apply for the private preview, please send email to sqlcesfeedback [at] microsoft [dot] com, and we’ll get back to you with more details! Useful resources Free Azure SQL Database. Free Azure SQL Managed Instance. Azure SQL – Year 2024 in review. Azure SQL YouTube channel.
