Unlocking AI-Driven Data Access: Azure Database for MySQL Support via the Azure MCP Server
Step into a new era of data-driven intelligence with the fusion of Azure MCP Server and Azure Database for MySQL, where your MySQL data is no longer just stored, but instantly conversational, intelligent and action-ready. By harnessing the open-standard Model Context Protocol (MCP), your AI agents can now query, analyze and automate in natural language, accessing tables, surfacing insights and acting on your MySQL-driven business logic as easily as chatting with a colleague. It’s like giving your data a voice and your applications a brain, all within Azure’s trusted cloud platform. We are excited to announce that we have added support for Azure Database for MySQL in Azure MCP Server. The Azure MCP Server leverages the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to allow AI agents to seamlessly interact with various Azure services to perform context-aware operations such as querying databases and managing cloud resources. Building on this foundation, the Azure MCP Server now offers a set of tools that AI agents and apps can invoke to interact with Azure Database for MySQL - enabling them to list and query databases, retrieve schema details of tables, and access server configurations and parameters. These capabilities are delivered through the same standardized interface used for other Azure services, making it easier to the adopt the MCP standard for leveraging AI to work with your business data and operations across the Azure ecosystem. Before we delve into these new tools and explore how to get started with them, let’s take a moment to refresh our understanding of MCP and the Azure MCP Server - what they are, how they work, and why they matter. MCP architecture and key components The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an emerging open protocol designed to integrate AI models with external data sources and services in a scalable, standardized, and secure manner. MCP dictates a client-server architecture with four key components: MCP Host, MCP Client, MCP Server and external data sources, services and APIs that provide the data context required to enhance AI models. To explain briefly, an MCP Host (AI apps and agents) includes an MCP client component that connects to one or more MCP Servers. These servers are lightweight programs that securely interface with external data sources, services and APIs and exposes them to MCP clients in the form of standardized capabilities called tools, resources and prompts. Learn more: MCP Documentation What is Azure MCP Server? Azure offers a multitude of cloud services that help developers build robust applications and AI solutions to address business needs. The Azure MCP Server aims to expose these powerful services for agentic usage, allowing AI systems to perform operations that are context-aware of your Azure resources and your business data within them, while ensuring adherence to the Model Context Protocol. It supports a wide range of Azure services and tools including Azure AI Search, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Storage, Azure Monitor, Azure CLI and Developer CLI extensions. This means that you can empower AI agents, apps and tools to: Explore your Azure resources, such as listing and retrieving details on your Azure subscriptions, resource groups, services, databases, and tables. Search, query and analyze your data and logs. Execute CLI and Azure Developer CLI commands directly, and more! Learn more: Azure MCP Server GitHub Repository Introducing new Azure MCP Server tools to interact with Azure Database for MySQL The Azure MCP Server now includes the following tools that allow AI agents to interact with Azure Database for MySQL and your valuable business data residing in these servers, in accordance with the MCP standard: Tool Description Example Prompts azmcp_mysql_server_list List all MySQL servers in a subscription & resource group "List MySQL servers in resource group 'prod-rg'." "Show MySQL servers in region 'eastus'." azmcp_mysql_server_config_get Retrieve the configuration of a MySQL server "What is the backup retention period for server 'my-mysql-server'?" "Show storage allocation for server 'my-mysql-server'." azmcp_mysql_server_param_get Retrieve a specific parameter of a MySQL server "Is slow_query_log enabled on server my-mysql-server?" "Get innodb_buffer_pool_size for server my-mysql-server." azmcp_mysql_server_param_set Set a specific parameter of a MySQL server to a specific value "Set max_connections to 500 on server my-mysql-server." "Set wait_timeout to 300 on server my-mysql-server." azmcp_mysql_table_list List all tables in a MySQL database "List tables starting with 'tmp_' in database 'appdb'." "How many tables are in database 'analytics'?" azmcp_mysql_table_schema_get Get the schema of a specific table in a MySQL database "Show indexes for table 'transactions' in database 'billing'." "What is the primary key for table 'users' in database 'auth'?" azmcp_mysql_database_query Executes a SELECT query on a MySQL Database. The query must start with SELECT and cannot contain any destructive SQL operations for security reasons. “How many orders were placed in the last 30 days in the salesdb.orders table?” “Show the number of new users signed up in the last week in appdb.users grouped by day.” These interactions are secured using Microsoft Entra authentication, which enables seamless, identity-based access to Azure Database for MySQL - eliminating the need for password storage and enhancing overall security. How are these new tools in the Azure MCP Server different from the standalone MCP Server for Azure Database for MySQL? We have integrated the key capabilities of the Azure Database for MySQL MCP server into the Azure MCP Server, making it easier to connect your agentic apps not only to Azure Database for MySQL but also to other Azure services through one unified and secure interface! How to get started Installing and running the Azure MCP Server is quick and easy! Use GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code to gain meaningful insights from your business data in Azure Database for MySQL. Pre-requisites Install Visual Studio Code. Install GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat extensions. An Azure Database for MySQL with Microsoft Entra authentication enabled. Ensure that the MCP Server is installed on a system with network connectivity and credentials to connect to Azure Database for MySQL. Installation and Testing Please use this guide for installation: Azure MCP Server Installation Guide Try the following prompts with your Azure Database for MySQL: Azure Database for MySQL tools for Azure MCP Server Try it out and share your feedback! Start using Azure MCP Server with the MySQL tools today and let our cloud services become your AI agent’s most powerful ally. We’re counting on your feedback - every comment, suggestion, or bug-report helps us build better tools together. Stay tuned: more features and capabilities are on the horizon! Feel free to comment below or write to us with your feedback and queries at AskAzureDBforMySQL@service.microsoft.com.Ignite 2025: Advancing Azure Database for MySQL with Powerful New Capabilities
At Ignite 2025, we’re introducing a wave of powerful new capabilities for Azure Database for MySQL, designed to help organizations modernize, scale, and innovate faster than ever before. From enhanced high availability and seamless serverless integrations to AI-powered insights and greater flexibility for developers, these advancements reflect our commitment to delivering a resilient, intelligent data platform. Join us as we unveil what’s next for MySQL on Azure - and discover how industry leaders are already building the future with confidence. Enhanced Failover Performance with Dedicated SLB for High-Availability Servers We’re excited to announce the General Availability of Dedicated Standard Load Balancer (SLB) for HA-enabled servers in Azure Database for MySQL. This enhancement introduces a dedicated SLB to High Availability configurations for servers created with public access or private link. By managing the MySQL data traffic path, SLB eliminates the need for DNS updates during failover, significantly reducing failover time. Previously, failover relied on DNS changes, which caused delays due to DNS TTL (30 seconds) and client-side DNS caching. What’s new with GA: The FQDN consistently resolves to the SLB IP address before and after failover. Load-balancing rules automatically route traffic to the active node. Removes DNS cache dependency, delivering faster failovers. Note: This feature is not supported for servers using private access with VNet integration. Learn more Build serverless, event-driven apps at scale – now GA with Trigger Bindings for Azure Functions We’re excited to announce the General Availability of Azure Database for MySQL Trigger bindings for Azure Functions, completing the full suite of Input, Output, and Trigger capabilities. This feature lets you build real-time, event-driven applications by automatically invoking Azure Functions when MySQL table rows are created or updated - eliminating custom polling and boilerplate code. With native support across multiple languages, developers can now deliver responsive, serverless solutions that scale effortlessly and accelerate innovation. Learn more Enable AI agents to query Azure Database for MySQL using Azure MCP Server We’re excited to announce that Azure MCP Server now supports Azure Database for MySQL, enabling AI agents to query and manage MySQL data using natural language through the open Model Context Protocol (MCP). Instead of writing SQL, you can simply ask questions like “Show the number of new users signed up in the last week in appdb.users grouped by day.”, all secured with Microsoft Entra authentication for enterprise-grade security. This integration delivers a unified, secure interface for building intelligent, context-aware workflows across Azure services - accelerating insights and automation. Learn more Greater networking flexibility with Custom Port Support Custom port support for Azure Database for MySQL is now generally available, giving organizations the flexibility to configure a custom port (between 25001 and 26000) during new server creation. This enhancement streamlines integration with legacy applications, supports strict network security policies, and helps avoid port conflicts in complex environments. Supported across all network configurations - including public access, private access, and Private Link - custom port provisioning ensures every new MySQL server can be tailored to your needs. The managed experience remains seamless, with all administrative capabilities and integrations working as before. Learn more Streamline migrations and compatibility with Lower Case Table Names support Azure Database for MySQL now supports configuring lower_case_table_names server parameter during initial server creation for MySQL 8.0 and above, ensuring seamless alignment with your organization’s naming conventions. This setting is automatically inherited for restores and replicas, and cannot be modified. Key Benefits: Simplifies migrations by aligning naming conventions and reducing complexity. Enhances compatibility with legacy systems that depend on case-insensitive table names. Minimizes support dependency, enabling faster and smoother onboarding. Learn more Unlock New Capabilities with Private Preview Features at Ignite 2025 We’re excited to announce that you can now explore two powerful capabilities in early access - Reader Endpoint for seamless read scaling and Server Rename for greater flexibility in server management. Scale reads effortlessly with Reader Endpoint (Private Preview) We’re excited to announce that the Reader Endpoint feature for Azure Database for MySQL is now ready for private preview. Reader Endpoint provides a dedicated read-only endpoint for read replicas, enabling automatic connection-based load balancing of read-only traffic across multiple replicas. This simplifies application architecture by offering a single endpoint for read operations, improving scalability and fault tolerance. Azure Database for MySQL supports up to 10 read replicas per primary server. By routing read-only traffic through the reader endpoint, application teams can efficiently manage connections and optimize performance without handling individual replica endpoints. Reader endpoints continuously monitor the health of replicas and automatically exclude any replica that exceeds the configured replication lag threshold or becomes unavailable. To enroll in the preview, please submit your details using this form. Limitations During Private Preview: Only performance-based routing is supported in this preview. Certain settings such as routing method and the option to attach new replicas to the reader endpoint can only be configured at creation time. Only one reader endpoint can be created per replica group. Including the primary server as a fallback for read traffic when no replicas are available is not supported in this preview. Get flexibility in server management with Server Rename (Private Preview) We’re excited to announce the Private Preview of Server Rename for Azure Database for MySQL. This feature lets you update the name of an existing MySQL server without recreating it, migrating data, or disrupting applications - making it easier to adopt clear, consistent naming. It provides a near zero-downtime path to a new hostname of the server. To enroll in the preview, please submit your details using this form. Limitations During Private Preview: Primary server with read replicas: Renaming a primary server that has read replicas keeps replication healthy. However, the SHOW SLAVE STATUS output on the replicas will still display the old primary server's name. This is a display inconsistency only and does not affect replication. Renaming is currently unsupported for servers using Customer Managed Key (CMK) encryption or Microsoft Entra Authentication (Entra Id). Real-World Success: Azure Database for MySQL Powers Resilient Applications at Scale Factorial Factorial, a leading HR software provider, uses Azure Database for MySQL alongside Azure Kubernetes Service to deliver secure, scalable HR solutions for thousands of businesses worldwide. By leveraging Azure Database for MySQL’s reliability and seamless integration with cloud-native technologies, Factorial ensures high availability and rapid innovation for its customers. Learn more YES (Youth Employment Service) South Africa’s largest youth employment initiative, YES, operates at national scale by leveraging Azure Database for MySQL to deliver a resilient, centralized platform for real-time job matching, learning management, and career services - connecting thousands of young people and employers, and helping nearly 45 percent of participants secure permanent roles within six months. Learn more Nasdaq At Ignite 2025, Nasdaq will showcase how it uses Azure Database for MySQL - alongside Azure Database for PostgreSQL and other Azure products - to power a secure, resilient architecture that safeguards confidential data while unlocking new agentic AI capabilities. Learn more These examples demonstrate that Azure Database for MySQL is trusted by industry leaders to build resilient, scalable applications - empowering organizations to innovate and grow with confidence. We Value Your Feedback Azure Database for MySQL is built for scale, resilience, and performance - ready to support your most demanding workloads. With every update, we’re focused on simplifying development, migration, and management so you can build with confidence. Explore the latest features and enhancements to see how Azure Database for MySQL meets your data needs today and in the future. We welcome your feedback and invite you to share your experiences or suggestions at AskAzureDBforMySQL@service.microsoft.com Stay up to date by visiting What's new in Azure Database for MySQL, and follow us on YouTube | LinkedIn | X for ongoing updates. Thank you for choosing Azure Database for MySQL!Building brighter futures: How YES tackles youth unemployment with Azure Database for MySQL
YES leverages Azure Database for MySQL to power South Africa’s largest youth employment initiative, delivering scalable, reliable systems that connect thousands of young people to jobs and learning opportunities.September 2025 Recap: Azure Database for MySQL
Join us live on our YouTube channel on October 15, 2025 for an exclusive webinar where we’ll dive deeper into the latest Azure Database for MySQL updates and answer your questions! Watch it live here. Support for In-Place Major Version Upgrade from 8.0 to 8.4 We previously announced that Azure Database for MySQL version 8.4 is now generally available. We’re now happy to share that in-place major version upgrade is supported for MySQL servers from 8.0 to 8.4. If you’re currently on MySQL 5.7, you’ll first need to perform an in-place upgrade from 5.7 to 8.0, and then upgrade from 8.0 to 8.4. Learn more. Near-Zero-Downtime Maintenance - General Availability You can now take advantage of near-zero-downtime maintenance for Azure Database for MySQL with high availability (HA) enabled. This capability is now generally available and is supported by our new HA architecture based on a dedicated Azure Standard Load Balancer design. Thanks to the dedicated Standard Load Balancer design, maintenance is now faster and no longer impacted by client-side DNS caching, which previously caused brief connection drops in some scenarios. This enhancement ensures that your mission-critical workloads remain continuously available, even during infrastructure updates, helping you meet strict uptime requirements and maintain operational continuity. Learn more. We would love your feedback We look forward to your feedback as you explore these enhancements and continue building with Azure Database for MySQL. If you have any suggestions or queries about our service, please let us know by emailing us at AskAzureDBforMySQL@service.microsoft.com. To learn more about what's new with Flexible Server, see What's new in Azure Database for MySQL - Flexible Server. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements by following us on social media: YouTube | LinkedIn | X. Thanks for being part of our community!August 2025 Recap: Azure Database for MySQL
We're excited to share a summary of the Azure Database for MySQL updates for the month of August 2025. Join us live on our YouTube channel on September 11, 2025 for an exclusive webinar where we’ll dive deeper into these updates and answer your questions! Watch it live here. Azure Database for MySQL 8.4 - General Availability We’re excited to announce that Azure Database for MySQL now supports MySQL 8.4 in General Availability (GA). This means you can create new MySQL 8.4 servers on Azure fully supported for production workloads. MySQL 8.4 is a long-term supported release from the MySQL community, bringing the latest features and improvements while emphasizing stability. With Azure’s managed service, you get these new capabilities backed by Azure’s enterprise-grade reliability and support. In short, MySQL 8.4 GA opens the door for you to upgrade your databases and future-proof your MySQL environment on Azure. Learn more. Cross subscription and cross resource-group placement in restore/replica provisioning workflow You can now restore a server or create a read replica in a different subscription and resource group in Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server. This enhancement offers greater flexibility for cross-environment restores, resource organization, and subscription-level separation, helping meet governance and operational requirements. Learn more. Ability to delete on-demand backup You can now delete on-demand backups in Azure Database for MySQL – Flexible Server, giving you greater control over backup management and storage costs. This feature allows you to remove on-demand backups that are no longer needed, helping maintain a cleaner backup inventory and optimize resource usage. Learn more. Unlocking Regional Insights with the Location Based Capabilities REST API Managing MySQL Flexible Server deployments across Azure regions often means choosing the right Azure region for your MySQL deployment is critical. The new Location-Based Capability Set – List API helps you: Retrieve real-time, region-specific capabilities. Compare SKUs, storage options, backup retention, and HA configurations. Integrate insights into automation pipelines for smarter deployments. This API empowers architects and developers to make informed decisions, reduce misconfigurations, and accelerate deployment cycles. Learn more. Stay Connected We look forward to your feedback as you explore these enhancements and continue building with Azure Database for MySQL. If you have any suggestions or queries about our service, please let us know by emailing us at AskAzureDBforMySQL@service.microsoft.com. You can also submit product ideas and feedback at Azure Database for MySQL Community forum. To learn more about what's new with Flexible Server, see What's new in Azure Database for MySQL - Flexible Server. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements by following us on social media: YouTube | LinkedIn | X. Take care, and thanks for being part of our community!Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server for Azure Database for MySQL
We are excited to introduce a new MCP Server for integrating your AI models with data hosted in Azure Database for MySQL. By utilizing this server, you can effortlessly connect any AI application that supports MCP to your MySQL flexible server (using either MySQL password-based authentication or Microsoft Entra authentication methods), enabling you to provide your business data as meaningful context in a standardized and secure manner.Performance diagnostics for Azure Database for MySQL - Flexible Server
Database monitoring and troubleshooting is critical for any data driven application to detect issues faster and mitigate them as quickly as possible. The most difficult troubleshooting area is identifying and addressing MySQL database performance issues. To help database administrators and developers to identify performance issues bottlenecks, we have new feature Performance diagnostics for managing Azure Database for MySQL servers in the Azure portal. This feature takes advantage of MySQL's information_schema and performance_schema databases to provide a comprehensive view of the system's internal operations. The data from performance schema helps you diagnose performance issues and identify bottlenecks.
Azure Database for MySQL - Flexible Server accelerated logs (Preview)
The new Accelerated Logs (preview) feature significantly enhances the performance of Azure Database for MySQL flexible servers, offering a dynamic solution that is designed for high throughput needs that also reduces latency and optimizes cost efficiency. This innovative feature is available with the Business-Critical service tier at no additional cost.
