Do you need more memory on Azure SQL Managed Instance?
Azure SQL Managed Instance is a fully-managed SQL Server database engine where you can easily choose size of the instance with the amount of resources you want to use. Sometime it is hard to determine what instance size you need to use for your workload and one of the criteria might be the amount of memory that you need. This article enables you to check do you have enough memory on your Azure SQL Managed Instance.Increase data file size to improve HammerDB workload performance on General Purpose Managed Instance
The General Purpose tier of Managed Instance uses Azure Premium Storage to store database files. In Azure Premium Storage IO performance depends on the file size. Increasing file size might be an easy way to improve your performance. In this post you will see how to increase performance of HammerDB workload from 20K transactions/minute to 100K-300K transactions/minute by increasing the database file size.Generally Available: Azure SQL Managed Instance Next-gen General Purpose
Overview Next-gen General Purpose is the evolution of General Purpose service tier that brings significantly improved performance and scalability to power up your existing Azure SQL Managed Instance fleet and helps you bring more mission-critical SQL workloads to Azure. We are happy to announce that Next-gen General Purpose is now Generally Available (GA) delivering even more scalability, flexibility, and value for organizations looking to modernize their data platform in a cost-effective way. The new #SQLMINextGen General Purpose tier delivers a built-in performance upgrade available to all customers at no extra cost. If you are an existing SQL MI General Purpose user, you get faster I/O, higher database density, and expanded storage - automatically. Summary Table: Key Improvements Capability Current GP Next-gen GP Improvement Average I/O Latency 5-10 ms 3-4 ms 2x lower Max Data IOPS 30-50k 80k 60% better Max Storage 16 TB 32 TB 2x better Max Databases/Instance 100 500 5x better Max vCores 80 128 40% better But that’s just the beginning. The new configuration sliders for additional IOPS and memory provide enhanced flexibility to tailor performance according to your requirements. Whether you require more resources for your application or seek to optimize resource utilization, you can adjust your instance settings to maximize efficiency and output. This release isn’t just about speed - It’s about giving you improved performance where it matters, and mechanisms to go further when you need them. Customer story - A recent customer case highlights how Hexure reduced processing time by up to 97.2% using Azure SQL Managed Instance on Next-gen General Purpose. What’s new in Next-gen General Purpose (Nov 2025)? 1. Improved baseline performance with the latest storage tech Azure SQL Managed Instance is built on Intel® Xeon® processors, ensuring a strong foundation for enterprise workloads. With the next-generation General Purpose tier, we’ve paired Intel’s proven compute power with advanced storage technology to deliver faster performance, greater scalability, and enhanced flexibility - helping you run more efficiently and adapt to growing business needs. The SQL Managed Instance General Purpose tier is designed with full separation of compute and storage layers. The Classic GP version uses premium page blobs for the storage layer, while the Next-generation GP tier has transitioned to Azure’s latest storage solution, Elastic SAN. Azure Elastic SAN is a cloud-native storage service that offers high performance and excellent scalability, making it a perfect fit for the storage layer of a data-intensive PaaS service like Azure SQL Managed Instance. Simplified Performance Management With ESAN as the storage layer, the performance quotas for the Next-gen General Purpose tier are no longer enforced for each database file. The entire performance quota for the instance is shared across all the database files, making performance management much easier (one fewer thing to worry about). This adjustment brings the General Purpose tier into alignment with the Business Critical service tier experience. 2. Resource flexibility and cost optimization The GA of Next-gen General Purpose comes together with the GA of a transformative memory slider, enabling up to 49 memory configurations per instance. This lets you right-size workloads for both performance and cost. Memory is billed only for the additional amount beyond the default allocation. Users can independently configure vCores, memory, and IOPS for optimal efficiency. To learn more about the new option for configuring additional memory, check the article: Unlocking More Power with Flexible Memory in Azure SQL Managed Instance. 3. Enhanced resource elasticity through decoupled compute and storage scaling operations With Next-gen GP, both storage and IOPS can be resized independently of the compute infrastructure, and these changes now typically finish within five minutes - a process known as an in-place upgrade. There are three distinct types of storage upgrade experiences depending on the kind of storage upgrade performed and whether failover occurs. In-place update: same storage (no data copy), same compute (no failover) Storage re-attach: Same storage (no data copy), changed compute (with failover) Data copy: Changed storage (data copy), changed compute (with failover) The following matrix describes user experience with management operations: Operation Data copying Failover Storage upgrade type IOPS scaling No No In-place Storage scaling* No* No In-place vCores scaling No Yes** Re-attach Memory scaling No Yes** Re-attach Maintenance Window change No Yes** Re-attach Hardware change No Yes** Re-attach Update policy change Yes Yes Data copy * If scale down is >5.5TB, seeding ** In case of update operations that do not require seeding and are not completed in place (examples are scaling vCores, scaling memory, changing hardware or maintenance window), failover duration of databases on the Next-gen General Purpose service tier scales with the number of databases, up to 10 minutes. While the instance becomes available after 2 minutes, some databases might be available after a delay. Failover duration is measured from the moment when the first database goes offline, until the moment when the last database comes online. Furthermore, resizing vCores and memory is now 50% faster following the introduction of the Faster scaling operations release. No matter if you have end-of-month peak periods, or there are ups and downs of usage during the weekdays and the weekend, with fast and reliable management operations, you can run multiple configurations over your instance and respond to peak usage periods in a cost-effective way. 4. Reserved instance (RI) pricing With Azure Reservations, you can commit to using Azure SQL resources for either one or three years, which lets you benefit from substantial discounts on compute costs. When purchasing a reservation, you'll need to choose the Azure region, deployment type, performance tier, and reservation term. Reservations are only available for products that have reached general availability (GA), and with this update, next-generation GP instances now qualify as well. What's even better is that classic and next-gen GP share the same SKU, just with different remote storage types. This means any reservations you've purchased automatically apply to Next-gen GP, whether you're upgrading an existing classic GP instance or creating a new one. What’s Next? The product group has received considerable positive feedback and welcomes continued input. The initial release will not include zonal redundancy; however, efforts are underway to address this limitation. Next-generation General Purpose (GP) represents the future of the service tier, and all existing classic GP instances will be upgraded accordingly. Once upgrade plans are finalized, we will provide timely communication regarding the announcement. Conclusion Now in GA, Next-gen General Purpose sets a new standard for cloud database performance and flexibility. Whether you’re modernizing legacy applications, consolidating workloads, or building for the future, these enhancements put more power, scalability, and control in your hands - without breaking the bank. If you haven’t already, try out the Next-gen General Purpose capabilities for free with Azure SQL Managed Instance free offer. For users operating SQL Managed Instance on the General Purpose tier, it is recommended to consider upgrading existing instances to leverage the advantages of next-gen upgrade – for free. Welcome to #SQLMINextGen. Boosted by default. Tuned by you. Learn more What is Azure SQL Managed Instance Try Azure SQL Managed Instance for free Next-gen General Purpose – official documentation Analyzing the Economic Benefits of Microsoft Azure SQL Managed Instance How 3 customers are driving change with migration to Azure SQL Accelerate SQL Server Migration to Azure with Azure Arc2025 Year in Review: What’s new across SQL Server, Azure SQL and SQL database in Fabric
What a year 2025 has been for SQL! ICYMI and are looking for some hype, might I recommend you start with this blog from Priya Sathy, the product leader for all of SQL at Microsoft: One consistent SQL: The launchpad from legacy to innovation. In this blog post, Priya explains how we have developed and continue to develop one consistent SQL which “unifies your data estate, bringing platform consistency, performance at scale, advanced security, and AI-ready tools together in one seamless experience and creates one home for your SQL workloads in the era of AI.” For the FIFTH(!!) year in a row (my heart is warm with the number, I love SQL and #SQLfamily, and time is flying), I am sharing my annual Year in Review blog with all the SQL Server, Azure SQL and SQL database in Fabric news this year. Of course, you can catch weekly episodes related to what’s new and diving deeper on the Azure SQL YouTube channel at aka.ms/AzureSQLYT. This year, in addition to Data Exposed (52 new episodes and over 70K views!). We saw many new series related to areas like GitHub Copilot, SSMS, VS Code, and Azure SQL Managed Instance land in the channel, in addition to Data Exposed. Microsoft Ignite announcements Of course, if you’re looking for the latest announcements from Microsoft Ignite, Bob Ward and I compiled this slide of highlights. Comprehensive list of 2025 updates You can read this blog (or use AI to reference it later) to get all the updates and references from the year (so much happened at Ignite but before it too!). Here’s all the updates from the year: SQL Server, Arc-enabled SQL Server, and SQL Server on Azure VMs Generally Available SQL Server 2025 is Now Generally Available Backup/Restore capabilities in SQL Server 2025 SQL Server 2025: Deeply Integrated and Feature-rich on Linux Resource Governor for Standard Edition Reimagining Data Excellence: SQL Server 2025 Accelerated by Pure Storage Security Update for SQL Server 2022 RTM CU21 Cumulative Update #22 for SQL Server 2022 RTM Backup/Restore enhancements in SQL Server 2025 Unified configuration and governance Expanding Azure Arc for Hybrid and Multicloud Management US Government Virginia region support I/O Analysis for SQL Server on Azure VMs NVIDIA Nemotron RAG Integration Preview Azure Arc resource discovery in Azure Migrate Multicloud connector support for Google Cloud Migrations Generally Available SQL Server migration in Azure Arc Azure Database Migration Service Hub Experience SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) v10.3, including Db2 SKU recommendation (preview) Database Migration Service: PowerShell, Azure CLI, and Python SDK SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) v10.4, including SQL Server 2025 support, Oracle conversion Copilot Schema migration support in Azure Database Migration Service Preview Azure Arc resource discovery in Azure Migrate Azure SQL Managed Instance Generally Available Next-gen General Purpose Service Tier Improved connectivity types in Azure SQL Managed Instance Improved resiliency with zone redundancy for general purpose, improved log rate for business critical Apply reservation discount for zone redundant Business Critical databases Free offer Windows principals use to simplify migrations Data exfiltration improvements Preview Windows Authentication for Cloud-Native Identities New update policy for Azure SQL Managed Instance Azure SQL Database Generally Available LTR Backup Immutability Free Azure SQL Database Offer updates Move to Hyperscale while preserving existing geo-replication or failover group settings Improve redirect connection type to require only port 1433 and promote to default Bigint support in DATEADD for extended range calculations Restart your database from the Azure portal Replication lag metric Enhanced server audit and server audit action groups Read-access geo-zone redundant storage (RA-GZRS) as a backup storage type for non-Hyperscale Improved cutover experience to Hyperscale SLA-compliant availability metric Use database shrink to reduced allocated space for Hyperscale databases Identify causes of auto-resuming serverless workloads Preview Multiple geo-replicas for Azure SQL Hyperscale Backup immutability for Azure SQL Database LTR backups Updates across SQL Server, Azure SQL and Fabric SQL database Generally Available Regex Support and fuzzy-string matching Geo-replication and Transparent Data Encryption key management Optimized locking v2 Azure SQL hub in the Azure portal UNISTR intrinsic function and ANSI SQL concatenation operator (||) New vector data type JSON index JSON data type and aggregates Preview Stream data to Azure Event Hubs with Change Event Streaming (Azure SQL DB Public Preview/Fabric SQL Private Preview) DiskANN vector indexing SQL database in Microsoft Fabric and Mirroring Generally Available Fabric Databases SQL database in Fabric Unlocking Enterprise ready SQL database in Microsoft Fabric: ALM improvements, Backup customizations and retention, Copilot enhancements & more update details Mirroring for SQL Server Mirroring for Azure SQL Managed Instance in Microsoft Fabric Connect to your SQL database in Fabric using Python Notebook Updates to database development tools for SQL database in Fabric Using Fast Copy for data ingestion Copilot for SQL analytics endpoint Any updates across Microsoft Fabric that apply to the SQL analytics endpoint are generally supported in mirrored databases and Fabric SQL databases via the SQL analytics endpoint. This includes many exciting areas, like Data Agents. See the Fabric blog to get inspired Preview Data virtualization support Workspace level Private Link support (Private Preview) Customer-managed keys in Fabric SQL Database Auditing for Fabric SQL Database Fabric CLI: Create a SQL database in Fabric SQL database workload in Fabric with Terraform Spark Connector for SQL databases Tools and developer Blog to Read: How the Microsoft SQL team is investing in SQL tools and experiences SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 22.1 GitHub Copilot Walkthrough (Preview): Guided onboarding from the Copilot badge. Copilot right-click actions (Preview): Document, Explain, Fix, and Optimize. Bring your own model (BYOM) support in Copilot (Preview). Copilot performance: improved response time after the first prompt in a thread. Fixes: addressed Copilot “Run ValidateGeneratedTSQL” loop and other stability issues. SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 22 Support for SQL Server 2025 Modern connection dialog as default + Fabric browsing on the Browse tab. Windows Arm64 support (initial) for core scenarios (connect + query). GitHub Copilot in SSMS (Preview) is available via the AI Assistance workload in the VS Installer. T-SQL/UX improvements: open execution plan in new tab, JSON viewer, results grid zooms. New index support: create JSON and Vector indexes from Object Explorer SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 21 Installation and automatic updates via Visual Studio Installer. Workloads/components model: smaller footprint + customizable install. Git integration is available via the Code tools workload. Modern connection dialog experience (Preview). New customization options (e.g., vertical tabs, tab coloring, results in grid NULL styling). Always Encrypted Assessment in the Always Encrypted Wizard. Migration assistance via the Hybrid and Migration workload. mssql-python Driver ODBC: Microsoft ODBC Driver 18.5.2.1 for SQL Server OLE DB: Microsoft OLE DB Driver 19.4.1 for SQL Server JDBC (latest train): Microsoft JDBC Driver for SQL Server 13.2.1 Also updated in 2025: supported JDBC branches received multiple servicing updates (including Oct 13, 2025, security fixes). See the same JDBC release notes for the full list. .NET: Microsoft.Data.SqlClient 6.0.2 Related - some notes on drivers released/updated in 2025 (recap): MSSQL extension for VS Code 1.37.0 GitHub Copilot integration : Ask/Agent modes, slash commands, onboarding. Edit Data : interactive grid for editing table data (requires mssql.enableExperimentalFeatures: true). Data-tier Application dialog : deploy/extract .dacpac and import/export .bacpac (requires mssql.enableExperimentalFeatures: true). Publish SQL Project dialog : deploy .sqlproj to an existing DB or a local SQL dev container. Added “What’s New” panel + improved query results grid stability/accessibility. MSSQL extension for VS Code 1.36.0 Fabric connectivity : browse Fabric workspaces and connect to SQL DBs / SQL analytics endpoints. SQL database in Fabric provisioning : create Fabric SQL databases from Deployments. GitHub Copilot slash commands : connection, schema exploration, query tasks. Schema Compare extensibility: new run command for external extensions/SQL Projects (incl. Update Project from Database support). Query results in performance/reliability improvements (incremental streaming, fewer freezes, better settings handling). SqlPackage 170.0.94 release notes (April 2025) Vector: support for vector data type in Azure SQL Database target platform (import/export/extract/deploy/build). SQL projects: default compatibility level for Azure SQL Database and SQL database in Fabric set to 170. Parquet: expanded supported types (including json, xml, and vector) + bcp fallback for unsupported types. Extract: unpack a .dacpac to a folder via /Action:Extract. Platform: Remove .NET 6 support; .NET Framework build updated to 4.7.2. SqlPackage 170.1.61 release notes (July 2025) Data virtualization (Azure SQL DB): added support for data virtualization objects in import/export/extract/publish. Deployment: new publishing properties /p:IgnorePreDeployScript and /p:IgnorePostDeployScript. Permissions: support for ALTER ANY EXTERNAL MIRROR (Azure SQL DB + SQL database in Fabric) for exporting mirrored tables. SQL Server 2025 permissions: support for CREATE ANY EXTERNAL MODEL, ALTER ANY EXTERNAL MODEL, and ALTER ANY INFORMATION PROTECTION. Fixes: improved Fabric compatibility (e.g., avoid deploying unsupported server objects; fixes for Fabric extraction scripting). SqlPackage 170.2.70 release notes (October 2025) External models: support for external models in Azure SQL Database and SQL Server 2025. AI functions: support for AI_GENERATE_CHUNKS and AI_GENERATE_EMBEDDINGS. JSON: support for JSON indexes + functions JSON_ARRAYAGG, JSON_OBJECTAGG, JSON_QUERY. Vector: vector indexes + VECTOR_SEARCH and expanded vector support for SQL Server 2025. Regex: support for REGEXP_LIKE. Microsoft.Build.Sql 1.0.0 (SQL database projects SDK) Breaking: .NET 8 SDK required for dotnet build (Visual Studio build unchanged). Globalization support. Improved SDK/Templates docs (more detailed README + release notes links). Code analyzer template defaults DevelopmentDependency. Build validation: check for duplicate build items. Microsoft.Build.Sql 2.0.0 (SQL database projects SDK) Added SQL Server 2025 target platform (Sql170DatabaseSchemaProvider). Updated DacFx version to 170.2.70. .NET SDK targets imported by default (includes newer .NET build features/fixes; avoids full rebuilds with no changes Azure Data Studio retirement announcement (retirement February 28, 2026) Anna’s Pick of the Month Year It’s hard to pick a highlight representative of the whole year, so I’ll take the cheesy way out: people. I get to work with great people working on a great set of products for great people (like you) solving real world problems for people. So, thank YOU and you’re my pick of the year 🧀 Until next time… That’s it for now! We release new episodes on Thursdays and new #MVPTuesday episodes on the last Tuesday of every month at aka.ms/azuresqlyt. The team has been producing a lot more video content outside of Data Exposed, which you can find at that link too! Having trouble keeping up? Be sure to follow us on twitter to get the latest updates on everything, @AzureSQL. And if you lose this blog, just remember aka.ms/newsupdate2025 We hope to see you next YEAR, on Data Exposed! --Anna and Marisa
Free SQL Managed Instance offer is now generally available
We are thrilled to announce the General Availability of the free offer for Azure SQL Managed Instance – making it easier than ever to explore the power of a fully managed, cloud-native SQL Server experience. With the GA release, you can now utilize a General Purpose or Next-Gen General Purpose (preview) Azure SQL Managed Instance at no cost for up to 12 months. With support for up to 500 databases, you can: Build applications with functionalities such as cross-database queries, Evaluate strategies to migrate your SQL Server applications to Azure, Explore some of the state-of-the-art PaaS capabilities like automated backups, availability, and more [1] . What’s included in the free offer The free SQL Managed Instance Offer includes: One General Purpose or Next-Gen General Purpose (preview) SQL managed instance per subscription. 720 vCore hours every month (renews every month, unused credits are lost). 64 GB of data storage. SQL license for the instance. Automatically backed up databases retained for up to 7 days. Default workday start/stop schedule from 9-5 to ensure frugal utilization of your free credits. Creation of up to 500 databases [1] The instance is automatically stopped when you reach the monthly vCore limit. If the start/stop schedule is set on the instance the next scheduled start succeeds when credits are available gain. Review vCore hours spending You can review your current available free credit on the Overview page of the Azure SQL Managed Instance in the Azure Portal. Simply open your free SQL managed instance resource page and observe the remaining credits, as illustrated in the following image: Upgrade If you want to upgrade your free SQL managed instance to production-ready instance with SLA, navigate to the Compute + Storage pane for you free instance, choose the Paid offer and click apply to save your changes. Disclaimer: These costs are estimates only. Actual charges may vary depending on region and configuration. Get started Have you already tried the free Azure SQL Managed Instance? If yes, feel free to share your feedback with the product team – aka.ms/sqlmi-free-feedback. If you still haven’t, follow these simple steps to get started in less than 5 minutes: Create Azure SQL Managed Instance Apply Free Offer – look for the “Want to try SQL MI for free?” banner and select “Apply” Select an existing resource group, or create a new one. Select “Review and create” to finish creating the instance. You’re now ready to explore the capabilities of Azure SQL Managed Instance! 😊 Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to experience Azure SQL Managed Instance for free! Learn more about the offer and get started today – aka.ms/freesqlmi [1] – Limitations might apply. Learn more about free offer limits.
Windows Authentication for Cloud-Native Identities: Modernizing Azure SQL Managed Instance (Preview)
Organizations moving to the cloud often face a critical challenge: maintaining seamless authentication for legacy applications without compromising security or user experience. Today, we’re excited to announce support for Windows Authentication for Microsoft Entra principals on Azure SQL Managed Instance, enabling cloud-native identities to authenticate using familiar Windows credentials. Why This Matters Traditionally, Windows Authentication relied on on-premises Active Directory, making it difficult for businesses adopting a cloud-only strategy to preserve existing authentication models. With this new capability: Hybrid Identity Support: Users synchronized between on-premises AD DS and Microsoft Entra ID can continue using a single set of credentials for both environments. Cloud-Only Identity (Preview): Identities that exist only in Microsoft Entra ID can now leverage Kerberos-based Windows Authentication for workloads like Azure SQL Managed Instance—without requiring domain controllers. This means organizations can modernize infrastructure while maintaining compatibility with legacy apps, reducing friction during migration. Key Benefits Seamless Migration: Move legacy applications to Azure SQL Managed Instance without rewriting authentication logic. Passwordless Security: Combine Windows Authentication with modern credentials like Windows Hello for Business or FIDO2 keys, enabling MFA and reducing password-related risks. Cloud-Native Integration: Microsoft Entra Kerberos acts as a cloud-based Key Distribution Center (KDC), issuing Kerberos tickets for cloud resources such as Azure SQL Managed Instance and Azure Files Breaking Barriers to Cloud Migration Many enterprises hesitate to migrate legacy apps because they depend on Windows Authentication. By extending this capability to cloud-native identities, we remove a major barrier—allowing customers to modernize at their own pace while leveraging familiar authentication models. Learn More https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/winauth-azuread-overview?view=azuresql Microsoft Entra Kerberos Overview
ABORT_QUERY_EXECUTION query hint - public preview
We are pleased to announce the public preview of a new query hint, ABORT_QUERY_EXECUTION. The hint is intended to be used as a Query Store hint to let administrators block future execution of known problematic queries, for example non-essential queries causing high resource consumption and affecting application workloads. The hint is now available in Azure SQL Database for all databases without restrictions. The hint will later be available in Azure SQL Managed Instance with the always-up-to-date update policy, as well as in a future version of SQL Server. For more information, see Block future execution of problematic queries in documentation. Update 2025-10-06: The ABORT_QUERY_EXECUTION hint is now generally available. Frequently Asked Questions Is this supported by Microsoft Support during public preview? Yes, just like other query hints. How do I use this? Use Query Store catalog views or the Query Store UI in SSMS to find the query ID of the query you want to block and execute sys.sp_query_store_set_hints specifying that query ID as a parameter. For example: EXEC sys.sp_query_store_set_hints @query_id = 17, @query_hints = N'OPTION (USE HINT (''ABORT_QUERY_EXECUTION''))'; What happens when a query with this hint is executed? This hint is intended to be used as a Query Store hint but can be specified directly as well. In either case, the query fails immediately with error 8778, severity 16: Query execution has been aborted because the ABORT_QUERY_EXECUTION hint was specified. How do I unblock a query? Remove the hint by executing sys.sp_query_store_clear_hints with the query ID value of the query you want to unblock passed via the @query_id parameter. Can I block a query that is not in Query Store? No. At least one execution of the query must be recorded in Query Store. That query execution does not have to be successful. This means that a query that started executing but was canceled or timed out can be blocked too. When I add the hint, does it abort any currently executing queries? No. The hint only aborts future query executions. You can use KILL to abort currently executing queries. What permissions are required to use this? As with all other Query Store hints, the ALTER permission on the database is required to set and clear the hint. Can I block all queries matching a query hash? Not directly. As with all other Query Store hints, you must use a query ID to set and clear a hint. However, you can create automation that will periodically find all new query IDs matching a given query hash and block them. Can I find all blocked queries in Query Store? Yes, by executing the following query: SELECT qsh.query_id, q.query_hash, qt.query_sql_text FROM sys.query_store_query_hints AS qsh INNER JOIN sys.query_store_query AS q ON qsh.query_id = q.query_id INNER JOIN sys.query_store_query_text AS qt ON q.query_text_id = qt.query_text_id WHERE UPPER(qsh.query_hint_text) LIKE '%ABORT[_]QUERY[_]EXECUTION%' Where do I send feedback about this hint? The preferred feedback channel is via https://aka.ms/sqlfeedback. Feedback sent that way is public and can be voted and commented on by other SQL community members. You can also leave comments on this blog post or email us at intelligentqp@microsoft.com.
Removing barriers to migrating databases to Azure with Striim’s Unlimited Database Migration program
Alok Pareek, co-founder and Executive Vice President of Product and Engineering at Striim Shireesh Thota, Corporate Vice President of Databases at Microsoft Every modernization strategy starts with data. It’s what enables advanced analytics and AI agents today, and prepares enterprises for what’s to come in the future. But before services like Microsoft Fabric, Azure AI Foundry, or Copilot can create that value, the underlying data needs to move into Microsoft’s cloud platforms. It’s within that first step, database migration, where the real complexity often lies. To simplify the process, Microsoft has expanded its investment in the Striim partnership. Striim continuously replicates data from existing databases into Azure in real time, enabling online migrations with zero downtime. Through this partnership, we have collaborated to enable modernization and migration into Azure at no additional cost to our customers. We’ve designed this Unlimited Database Migration program to accelerate adoption by making migrations easier to start, easier to scale, and easier to complete, all without disrupting business operations. Since launch, this joint program has already driven significant growth in customer adoption, indicating the demand for faster, more seamless modernization. And with Microsoft’s continued investment in this partnership, enterprises now have a proven, repeatable path to modernize their databases and prepare their data for the AI era. Watch or listen to our recent podcast episode (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube) to learn more. Striim’s Unlimited Migration Program Striim’s Unlimited Database Migration Program was designed to make modernization as straightforward as possible for Microsoft customers. Through this initiative, enterprises gain unlimited Striim licenses to migrate as many databases as they need at no additional cost. Highlights and benefits of the program include: Zero-downtime, zero-data-loss migrations. Supported sources include SQL Server, MongoDB, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Sybase. Supported targets include Azure Database for MySQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Azure Cosmos DB, and Azure SQL. Mission-critical, heterogeneous workloads supported. Applies for SQL, Oracle, NoSQL, OSS. Drives faster AI adoption. Once migrated, data is ready for analytics & AI. Access is streamlined through Microsoft’s Cloud Factory Accelerator team, which manages program enrollment and coordinates the distribution of licenses. Once onboarded, customers receive installation walkthroughs, an enablement kit, and direct support from Striim architects. Cutover support, hands-on labs, and escalation paths are all built in to help migrations run smoothly from start to finish. Enterprises can start migrations quickly, scale across business units, and keep projects moving without slowing down for procurement hurdles. Now, migrations can begin when the business is ready, not when budgets or contracts catch up. How Striim Powers Online Migrations Within Striim’s database migrations, schema changes and metadata evolution are automatically detected and applied, preserving data accuracy and referential integrity. As the migration progresses, Striim automatically coordinates both the initial bulk load of historical data and the ongoing synchronization of live transactions. This ongoing synchronization keeps source and target systems in sync for as long as needed to actively test the target applications with real data before doing the cutoff, thereby minimizing risk. However, the foundation of Striim’s approach is log-based Change Data Capture (CDC), which streams database changes in real time from source to target with sub-second latency. This helps migrations avoid just moving the static snapshot of a database. Rather, they continuously replicate every update as it happens, so both environments remain aligned with minimal impact on operational systems throughout the process. While the snapshot (initial load) is being applied to the target system, Striim captures all the changes that occur. Once the initial load process is complete, Striim applies the changes using CDC, and from this point on, the source and target systems are in sync. This eliminates the need for shutting down the source system during the initial load process and enables customers to complete their migrations without any downtime of the source database. Striim is also designed to work across hybrid and multi-cloud architectures. It can seamlessly move workloads from on-premises databases, SaaS applications, or other clouds into Microsoft databases. By maintaining exactly-once delivery and ensuring downstream systems stay in sync, Striim can reduce risk and accelerates the path to modernization. Striim is available in the Azure Marketplace, giving customers a native, supported way to integrate it directly into their Azure environment. This means migrations can be deployed quickly, governed centrally, and scaled as business needs evolve, all while still aligning with Azure’s security and compliance standards. From Migration to Value With workloads fully landed in Azure, enterprises can immediately take advantage of the broader Microsoft data ecosystem. Fabric, Azure AI Foundry, and Copilot become available as extensions of the database foundation, allowing teams to analyze, visualize, and enrich data without delay. Enterprises can begin adopting Microsoft AI services with data that is current, trusted, and governed. Instead of treating migration as an isolated project, customers gain an integrated pathway to analytics and AI, creating value as soon as databases go live in Azure. How Enterprises Are Using the Program Today Across industries, we’re already seeing how this program changes the way enterprises approach modernization. Financial Services Moving from Oracle to Azure SQL, one global bank used Striim to keep systems in sync throughout the migration. With transactions flowing in real time, they stood up a modern fraud detection pipeline on Azure that identifies risks as they happen. Logistics For a logistics provider, shifting package-tracking data from MongoDB to Azure Cosmos DB meant customers could monitor shipments in real time. Striim’s continuous replication kept data consistent throughout the cutover, so the company didn’t have to trade accuracy for speed. Healthcare A provider modernizing electronic medical records from Sybase to Azure SQL relied on Striim to ensure clinicians never lost access. With data now in Azure, they can meet compliance requirements while building analytics that improve patient care. Technology InfoCert, a leading provider of digital trust services specializing in secure digital identity solutions, opted to migrate its critical Legalmail Enterprise application from Oracle to Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Using Striim and Microsoft, they successfully migrated 2 TB of data across 12 databases and completed the project within a six-month timeframe, lowering licensing costs, enhancing scalability, and improving security. What unites these stories is a common thread: once data is in Azure, it becomes part of a foundation that’s ready for analytics and AI. Accelerate Your Path to Azure Now, instead of database migration being the bottleneck for modernization, it’s the starting point for what comes next. With the Unlimited Database Migration Program, Microsoft and Striim have created a path that removes friction and clears the way for innovation. Most customers can simply reach out to their Microsoft account team or seller to begin the process. Your Microsoft representative will validate that your migration scenario is supported by Striim, and Striim will allocate the licenses, provide installation guidance, and deliver ongoing support. If you’re unsure who your Microsoft contact is, you can connect directly with Striim, and we’ll coordinate with Microsoft on your behalf. There’s no lengthy procurement cycle or complex setup to navigate. With Microsoft and Striim jointly coordinating the program, enterprises can begin migrations as soon as they’re ready, with confidence that support is in place from start to finish. Simplify your migration and move forward with confidence. Talk to your Microsoft representative or book a call with Striim team today to take advantage of the Unlimited Database Migration Program and start realizing the value of Azure sooner. Or if you’re attending Microsoft Ignite, visit Striim at booth 6244 to learn more, ask questions, and see how Striim and Microsoft can help accelerate your modernization journey together.
