How to setup alerts for deadlocks using Log Analytics
Managed Instance diagnostic events do not support sending deadlock information to Log Analytics. However, through auditing, it's possible to query failed queries along with their reported error messages—though this does not include deadlock XML. We will see how we can send information to Log Analytics and setup an alert for when a deadlock occurs. Step 1 - Deploy Log Analytics Create a Log Analytics workspace if you currently don't have one Create a Log Analytics workspace Step 2 - Add diagnostic setting On the Azure Portal, open the Diagnostic settings of your Azure SQL Managed Instance and choose Add diagnostic setting Select SQL Security Audit Event and choose has destination your Log Analytics workspace Step 3 - Create a server audit on the Azure SQL Managed Instance Run the query below on the Managed Instance Rename the server audit and server audit specification to a name of your choice. CREATE SERVER AUDIT [audittest] TO EXTERNAL_MONITOR GO -- we are adding Login audit, but only BATCH_COMPLETED_GROUP is necessary for query execution CREATE SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION audit_server FOR SERVER AUDIT audittest ADD (SUCCESSFUL_LOGIN_GROUP), ADD (BATCH_COMPLETED_GROUP), ADD (FAILED_LOGIN_GROUP) WITH (STATE = ON) GO ALTER SERVER AUDIT [audittest] WITH (STATE = ON) GO Step 4 - Check events on Log Analytics It may take some time for records to begin appearing in Log Analytics. Open your Log Analytics workspace and choose Logs To verify if data is being ingested, run the following query in Log Analytics and wait until you start getting the first results: Make sure that you change servername with your Azure SQL Managed Instance name AzureDiagnostics | where LogicalServerName_s == "servername" | where Category == "SQLSecurityAuditEvents" | take 10 Example: Step 5 - (Optional) Create a deadlock event for testing Create a deadlock scenario so you can see a record on log analytics. Example: Open SSMS and a new query window under the context of a user database (you can create a test database just for this test). create a table on a user database and insert 10 records: create table tb1 (id int identity(1,1) primary key clustered, col1 varchar(30)) go insert into tb1 values ('aaaaaaa') go 10 You can close the query window or reuse for the next step. Open a new query window (or reuse the first query window) and run (leave the query window open after executing): begin transaction update tb1 set col1 = 'bbbb' where id = 1 Open a second query window and run (leave the query window open after executing): begin transaction update tb1 set col1 = 'bbbb' where id = 2 Go back to the first query window opened and run (the query will be blocked - will stay executing): update tb1 set col1 = 'bbbb' where id = 2 Go back to the second query window opened and run (this transaction will be victim of deadlock): update tb1 set col1 = 'bbbb' where id = 1 You can rollback and close all windows after the deadlock exception. Step 6 - (Optional) Check the deadlock exception on Log Analytics Note: the record can take some minutes to appear on Log Analytics Use the query below to obtain the Deadlock events for the last hour (we are looking for Error 1205) Make sure that you change servername with your Azure SQL Managed Instance name AzureDiagnostics | where TimeGenerated > ago(1h) | where LogicalServerName_s == "servername" | where Category == "SQLSecurityAuditEvents" | where succeeded_s == "false" | where additional_information_s contains "Err 1205, Level 13" Step 7 - Use query to Create an Alert Use the query below to create an Alert on Azure Log Analytics Make sure that you change servername with your Azure SQL Managed Instance name. The query checks for deadlocks that occurred on the previous hour. AzureDiagnostics | where TimeGenerated > ago(1h) | where LogicalServerName_s == "servername" | where Category == "SQLSecurityAuditEvents" | where succeeded_s == "false" | where additional_information_s contains "Err 1205, Level 13" Run the query and click on New alert rule Create the alert with the desired settings
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 · PyPIMaking Azure DMS More Secure: Azure Portal Permission Enhancements
Migrating databases to Azure SQL Managed Instance or Azure SQL Virtual Machine is a critical step in modernizing enterprise infrastructure. With security and compliance top of mind, Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) has introduced key changes to its Azure portal experience—especially around permission for blob container access. Why the Change? Previously, in case of Azure Portal, DMS relied on account key-based access to Azure Blob Storage for listing and accessing backup files on the migration configuration page. While functional, this approach is not best in terms of security, especially for industries which prohibit the use of shared keys. Now, DMS's Azure portal uses security context of the current signed in user on the Azure portal to list and access backup files in the blob container, making it better security approach. Impact of the Change When migrating to Azure SQL Managed Instance or Azure SQL Virtual Machine via Azure portal make sure the current signed in user has Storage Blob Data Reader role on the Blob container that contains the backup files. This permission is needed to list folders and files in the blob container during migration setup via Azure portal only. If the current signed in user lacks the Storage Blob Data Reader role on the Blob container, users will encounter the following error: Error: "Blob container selection error: Error listing the contents of the container: This request is not authorized to perform this operation using this permission." Solution: Make sure the current signed in user has "Storage Blob Data Reader" role on the Blob container that contains the backup files. For more information, refer : Tutorial: Migrate SQL Server to Azure SQL Managed Instance - Azure Database Migration Service | Microsoft Learn Tutorial: Migrate SQL Server to SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machine Using Azure Data Studio - Azure Database Migration Service | Microsoft LearnIntroducing new update policy for Azure SQL Managed Instance
We’re excited to introduce the new update policy SQL Server 2025 for Azure SQL Managed Instance. Now in preview, SQL Server 2025 update policy brings you the latest SQL engine innovation while retaining database portability to the new major release of SQL Server. Update policy is an instance configuration option that provides flexibility and allows you to choose between instant access to the latest SQL engine features and fixed SQL engine feature set corresponding to 2022 and 2025 major releases of SQL Server. Regardless of the update policy chosen, you continue to benefit from Azure SQL platform innovation. New features and capabilities not related to the SQL engine – everything that makes Azure SQL Managed Instance a true PaaS service – are successively delivered to your Azure SQL Managed Instance resources. Update policy for each modernization strategy Always-up-to-date is a “perpetual” update policy. It has no end of lifetime and brings new SQL engine features to instances as soon as they are available in Azure. It enables you to always be at the forefront – to quickly adopt new yet production-ready SQL engine features, benefit from them in everyday operations and keep a competitive edge without waiting for the next major release of SQL Server. In contrast, update policies SQL Server 2022 and SQL Server 2025 contain fixed sets of SQL engine features corresponding to the respective releases of SQL Server. They’re optimized to fulfill regulatory compliance, contractual, or other requirements for database/workload portability from managed instance to SQL Server. Over time, they get security patches, fixes, and incremental functional improvements in form of Cumulative Updates, but not new SQL engine features. They also have limited lifetime, aligned with the period of mainstream support of SQL Server releases. As the end of mainstream support for the update policy approaches, you should upgrade instances to a newer policy. Instances will be automatically upgraded to the next more recent policy at the end of mainstream support of their existing update policy. What’s new in SQL Server 2025 update policy In short, instances with update policy SQL Server 2025 benefit from all the SQL engine features that were gradually added to the Always-up-to-date policy over the past few years, and not available in the SQL Server 2022 update policy. Let’s name few most notable features, with complete list available in the update policy documentation: Optimized locking Mirroring in Fabric Regular expression functions Vector data type and functions JSON data type and aggregate functions Invoking HTTP REST endpoints Best practices with Update policy feature Plan for the end of lifetime of SQL Server 2022 update policy if you’re using it today, and upgrade to a newer policy on your terms before automatic upgrade kicks in. Make sure to add update policy configuration to your deployment templates and scripts, so that you don’t rely on system defaults that may change in the future. Be aware that using some of the newly introduced features may require changing the database compatibility level. Summary and next steps Azure SQL Managed Instance just got new update policy SQL Server 2025. It brings the same set of SQL engine features that exist in the new SQL Server 2025 (currently in preview). Consider it if you have regulatory compliance, contractual, or other reasons for database/workload portability from Azure SQL Managed Instance to SQL Server 2025. Otherwise, use the Always-up-to-date policy which always provides the latest features and benefits available to Azure SQL Managed Instance. For more details visit Update policy documentation. To stay up to date with the latest feature additions to Azure SQL Managed Instance, subscribe to the Azure SQL video channel, subscribe to the Azure SQL Blog feed, or bookmark What’s new in Azure SQL Managed Instance article with regular updates.
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!
