Move to Modern SQL Server Licensing with Confidence
Why eligible customers should move to pay-as-you-go licensing (PAYG) For eligible SQL Server workloads, PAYG should be the preferred licensing approach when moving away from licenses and Software Assurance. It aligns billing with measured usage, adapts as the estate changes, and reduces the operational burden of managing fixed license quantities. The transition requires deliberate resource-configuration updates, but the result is a more flexible and manageable licensing model. Align cost with measured usage: Adopt consumption-based billing for eligible SQL Server resources instead of maintaining fixed license allocations. Scale without repeated license true-ups: Let billing adjust as workloads are added, removed, migrated, resized, or used intermittently. Manage licensing through Azure: Use Azure-based controls to review resource-level licensing and improve visibility across the estate. Reduce license administration: Spend less time tracking fixed quantities and aligning individual resources with license inventory. Optimize committed consumption: After establishing stable PAYG usage, evaluate applicable Azure savings plans or reservations to help reduce costs. Guidance for transitioning your resource settings Once your organization decides to adopt PAYG for eligible SQL Server workloads, update the license configuration on each resource so billing reflects that decision. A commercial or licensing change alone does not update resource-level settings. Plan this configuration work as part of the transition rather than treating it as a follow-up. Starting early gives teams time to validate security, networking, Azure Arc connectivity, billing, and operational processes before switching the broader estate. Automate the transition to pay-as-you-go SQL licensing at scale Choose the transition approach that fits your estate PowerShell for a controlled bulk change Use PowerShell when you need a targeted transition across a defined tenant, subscription, resource group, or resource scope. Discover and review resources before making changes. Test the transition with a limited scope. Update eligible resources in bulk when the organization is ready. Validate the resulting license configuration and billing signals. Azure Policy for ongoing governance Use Azure Policy to transition existing SQL resources to PAYG and continuously enforce the desired licensing configuration. Azure Policy helps identify configuration drift, maintain compliance, and automatically remediate non-compliant resources at scale. Define the approved license configuration for eligible resources. Assign policy at the appropriate subscription or resource group scope. Monitor compliance through centralized Azure views. Remediate resources that drift from the approved configuration. Recommended path to PAYG Commit to the PAYG target. Confirm which eligible workloads will move and identify the teams responsible for licensing, Azure, security, networking, and SQL operations. Prepare the estate. For SQL Server running outside of Azure, connect to Azure Arc. Inventory eligible SQL resources and confirm that Azure Arc connectivity and required organizational approvals are in place. Prove the transition. Test resource updates and billing behavior in a limited resource group or subscription. Move at scale. Use PowerShell for a controlled bulk transition, then apply Azure Policy for ongoing governance where appropriate. Verify and operate. Review the resulting configuration, monitor compliance, and reassess as the SQL estate grows or changes. Evaluate commitment-based savings. After establishing a stable PAYG usage pattern, assess whether an applicable Azure savings plan or reservation could reduce costs. Review eligibility, coverage, and commitment terms with your Microsoft representative. Learn more Automate the transition to pay-as-you-go SQL licensing at scale Manage licensing and billing of SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc Pricing guidance for SQL Server on Azure VMs Azure SQL Database pricing Eligibility, billing treatment, prerequisites, and available licensing options vary by resource and licensing arrangement. Review the applicable Microsoft terms and product guidance, and consult your Microsoft representative or licensing specialist as needed.Microsoft Drivers for PHP for SQL Server 5.13.3: PIE support on every platform
Version 5.13.3 of the Microsoft Drivers for PHP for SQL Server is now available on PIE, the PHP Installer for Extensions, the official replacement for the deprecated PECL installer. You can now install SQLSRV and PDO_SQLSRV on Linux, macOS, and Windows through the same Composer-style tooling you already use for your PHP dependencies. This release completes the PIE rollout that started in 5.13.2. That release also carried two PDO_SQLSRV security fixes, so we recommend upgrading regardless of how you install. Install with PIE After installing PIE, install either or both drivers with their Packagist package names: pie install microsoft/sqlsrv pie install microsoft/pdo_sqlsrv The drivers require PHP 8.3 or later and the Microsoft ODBC Driver 17 or 18 for SQL Server. PDO_SQLSRV also requires the PDO extension, which is included with PHP by default. PIE itself needs PHP 8.1 or later to run, and it can target any other PHP version you have installed. On Linux and macOS, PIE builds the extension from source and will offer to install any missing build tools first. On Windows, PIE downloads a prebuilt DLL matching your PHP version, thread-safety mode, and architecture, so no build toolchain is needed. Windows support arrived in 5.13.3. If you tried pie install on Windows with 5.13.2 and hit This extension does not support the "windows" operating system family, upgrading resolves it. PECL still works You don't have to switch today. Version 5.13.3 is published to PECL as usual, alongside the downloadable release archives, so pecl install sqlsrv and pecl install pdo_sqlsrv continue to work. PIE is where we recommend new installations start. Security updates Version 5.13.2 included two PDO_SQLSRV security fixes, both carried forward in 5.13.3: PDO::lastInsertId($name) now uses a parameterized query when looking up a sequence name. This prevents the supplied name from changing the query and also fixes lookups for sequence names containing non-ASCII characters. Binary parameters containing embedded NUL (0x00) bytes are no longer silently truncated when PDO emulated prepares are used with PDO::SQLSRV_ENCODING_BINARY. If your application uses PDO_SQLSRV and you are on 5.13.1 or earlier, upgrade. Additional fixes 5.13.2 also: Fixes a Windows thread-safe shared-build linker failure. Clears stale unixODBC INI cache data when the module shuts down on Linux and macOS. Fixes an AddressSanitizer One Definition Rule violation when SQLSRV and PDO_SQLSRV are loaded together. Addresses CodeQL static-analysis findings. Get version 5.13.3 Install SQLSRV from Packagist with PIE. Install PDO_SQLSRV from Packagist with PIE. Download the 5.13.3 release packages. Review the full changelog. Read the Microsoft Drivers for PHP for SQL Server documentation. Please report issues and share feedback in the msphpsql GitHub repository.mssql-django 1.8.0: Django 6.1 Support within 48 Hours of Django 6.1 GA
Django 6.1 GA'd on August 5. mssql-django 1.8.0 was on PyPI within 48 hours. This is the first time the backend has shipped support for a new Django release in lockstep with Django itself. If you run SQL Server, Azure SQL, or SQL database in Microsoft Fabric, you can move to 6.1 today without code changes. pip install --upgrade mssql-django Django How it shipped this fast The work started in June, against the 6.1 beta. The beta went into the full CI matrix weeks before GA, we knew about every backend API break in June. Fixes were developed on an integration branch and validated on live CI against real 6.1 builds on SQL Server 2025. By GA day, the release was tested and ready to publish. What's new Django 6.1 changed several parts of the database backend API. Every change here is version-gated, so earlier Django versions are unaffected. Query compilation for 6.1's sliced and offset queries. Django 6.1 deprecated SQLCompiler.quote_name_unless_alias() in favor of SQLCompiler.quote_name(); sliced querysets and OFFSET ... FETCH now compile without Django 7.0 deprecation warnings. Database introspection. get_relations() returns 6.1's expanded shape, including the database-level ON DELETE rule, so inspectdb keeps working. Upfront errors for the 6.1 features SQL Server cannot support. Regression tests, CI, and packaging for 6.1 on Windows and Linux with Python 3.12, 3.13, and 3.14. What doesn't work on 6.1 Two 6.1 features are unavailable: Database-level referential actions (DB_CASCADE, DB_SET_NULL, DB_SET_DEFAULT). SQL Server disallows multiple cascade paths to the same table, and that is still true in SQL Server 2025. Using one fails Django's system checks with fields.E324; use Django's on_delete handling instead. Bitwise aggregates (BitAnd, BitOr, BitXor). SQL Server has no native bitwise aggregate function, and the backend doesn't emulate one yet, so these raise NotSupportedError. If this is important to you, drop a comment on issue #572 with your use case. Supported versions Component Supported versions Django 3.2, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 6.0, 6.1 Python 3.8 through 3.14; Django 6.0 and 6.1 require Python 3.12+ SQL Server All supported versions Azure SQL Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance Microsoft Fabric SQL database in Microsoft Fabric This matrix is wider than it should be. Django 5.1 and earlier and Python 3.9 and earlier are already past end of life upstream. A separate upcoming release will narrow this list to the versions their own projects still support. Upgrading pip install --upgrade mssql-django Django 1.8.0 release notes: https://github.com/microsoft/mssql-django/releases/tag/1.8.0 README: https://github.com/microsoft/mssql-django#supportability Django 6.1 release notes: https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/6.1/releases/6.1/ PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/mssql-django/ Issues: https://github.com/microsoft/mssql-django/issuesmssql-django 1.7.4 Released
mssql-django 1.7.4 is now available on PyPI. This release focused on two fixes in raw and annotated GROUP BY query handling. What is fixed 1) Escaped %% handling in GROUP BY params GROUP BY queries that mixed escaped %% literals with real params could raise IndexError. In 1.7.4, placeholder rewriting now only touches %% and %s in the intended paths. These queries now execute correctly instead of failing. Example: from django.db import connection sql = """ SELECT LEFT(name, %s) AS prefix, COUNT(*) FROM testapp_customer_name WHERE notes LIKE 'promo%%' GROUP BY LEFT(name, %s) """ params = [3, 3] with connection.cursor() as cursor: cursor.execute(sql, params) rows = cursor.fetchall() Before 1.7.4: this pattern could raise IndexError when escaped %% and %s placeholders appeared together. In 1.7.4: the query executes and returns grouped rows as expected. 2) IntegerChoices in raw GROUP BY queries Passing IntegerChoices values into raw GROUP BY queries could raise NotImplementedError. In 1.7.4, type checks use isinstance, so IntegerChoices params are handled correctly while bool and plain int behavior stays consistent. Example: from django.db import connection from django.db.models import IntegerChoices class Priority(IntegerChoices): LOW = 1, "Low" HIGH = 2, "High" sql = """ SELECT priority, COUNT(*) FROM testapp_choice_question WHERE priority = %s GROUP BY priority """ with connection.cursor() as cursor: cursor.execute(sql, [Priority.HIGH]) rows = cursor.fetchall() Before 1.7.4: passing Priority.HIGH could raise NotImplementedError. In 1.7.4: IntegerChoices values bind correctly in raw GROUP BY queries. Tests This release also adds regression coverage for: Escaped %% and unescaped % GROUP BY paths IntegerChoices in raw GROUP BY queries Compatibility mssql-django 1.7.4 remains a backward-compatible patch release with no breaking changes. Thank you Thanks to everyone using mssql-django, especially those that reported these issues. Your reports and repros help improve reliability with every patch. If you hit an issue, please open one here: https://github.com/microsoft/mssql-django/issues PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/mssql-django/ Release notes: https://github.com/microsoft/mssql-django/releases/tag/1.7.4
Cumulative Update #26 for SQL Server 2022 RTM
The 26th cumulative update release for SQL Server 2022 RTM is now available for download at the Microsoft Downloads site. Please note that registration is no longer required to download Cumulative updates. To learn more about the release or servicing model, please visit: CU26 KB Article: https://support.microsoft.com/help/5093420 Starting with SQL Server 2017, we adopted a new modern servicing model. Please refer to our blog for more details on Modern Servicing Model for SQL Server Microsoft® SQL Server® 2022 RTM Latest Cumulative Update: https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=105013 Update Center for Microsoft SQL Server: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/sql/releases/download-and-install-latest-updatesSecurity Update for SQL Server 2022 RTM CU25
The Security Update for SQL Server 2022 RTM CU25 is now available for download at the Microsoft Download Center and Microsoft Update Catalog sites. This package cumulatively includes all previous security fixes for SQL Server 2022 RTM CUs, plus it includes the new security fixes detailed in the KB Article. Security Bulletins: CVE-2026-54118 - Security Update Guide - Microsoft - Microsoft SQL Server Denial of Service Vulnerability Security Update of SQL Server 2022 RTM CU25 KB Article: KB5101347 Microsoft Download Center: https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=2c52560b-6fd0-4ceb-8d60-0c540d910d01 Microsoft Update Catalog: https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=5101347 Latest Updates for Microsoft SQL Server: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/sql/releases/download-and-install-latest-updatesSecurity Update for SQL Server 2022 RTM
The Security Update for SQL Server 2022 RTM GDR is now available for download at the Microsoft Download Center and Microsoft Update Catalog sites. This package cumulatively includes all previous security fixes for SQL Server 2022 RTM, plus it includes the new security fixes detailed in the KB Article. Security Bulletins: CVE-2026-54118 - Security Update Guide - Microsoft - Microsoft SQL Server Denial of Service Vulnerability Security Update of SQL Server 2022 RTM GDR KB Article: KB5102334 Microsoft Download Center: https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?familyid=db5e12bd-676a-4324-b736-10053a1d34cf Microsoft Update Catalog: https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=5102334 Latest Updates for Microsoft SQL Server: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/sql/releases/download-and-install-latest-updatesmssql-python 1.11.0: Fixes for transaction semantics, Apple Silicon imports, and bulk copy
This release is about removing friction in real production paths. It fixes transaction handling in with blocks, restores clean-machine imports on Apple Silicon, improves NULL binary parameter binding, removes a class of hangs in SSH-tunnel-style forwarding setups, and unblocks bulk copy with service principal authentication. Upgrade pip install --upgrade mssql-python Highlights with connection: now commits on success and rolls back on exception The Connection context manager now implements the documented commit-on-success / rollback-on-exception behavior when autocommit=False. The connection still closes on exit. Code like this now behaves the way most users already expected it to: import mssql_python conn = mssql_python.connect(connection_string, autocommit=False) with conn: cursor = conn.cursor() cursor.execute("INSERT INTO dbo.audit_log(message) VALUES (?)", ("created",)) If the code in the block succeeds, the insert is committed. If the code in the block raises an error, the transaction is rolled back. Apple Silicon imports work on clean machines again We fixed the bundled macOS ODBC dylib configuration for every architecture shipped in the universal2 wheel. For Apple Silicon users, this removes a frustrating failure mode where import mssql_python could point at a missing Homebrew unixODBC path on a clean machine. In 1.11.0, the bundled libraries resolve correctly without a separate unixODBC install. NULL BINARY and VARBINARY parameters bind more reliably We fixed the SQLDescribeParam ordinal remapping issue behind GitHub issue #627. 1.11.0 improves parameter binding for NULL binary values, especially in temp-table and table-variable scenarios. When automatic type resolution is not possible, the driver now gives actionable guidance instead of a vague failure, including cursor.setinputsizes() guidance for binary columns. Bug fixes worth calling out Shutdown and parameter-typing paths no longer hang SSH-tunnel-style forwarders We fixed hangs caused by holding the GIL across blocking ODBC operations. This matters most for users routing connections through an in-process Python TCP forwarder, including SSH-tunnel-style setups. Closing connections and cursors after parameterized queries, as well as executing parameterized queries containing None, no longer wedge the interpreter in those paths. Bulk copy with service principal authentication no longer freezes 1.11.0 also picks up mssql-py-core 0.1.6, which fixes a freeze affecting bulk copy with Authentication=ActiveDirectoryServicePrincipal. If you are using service principal authentication for bulk ingest workloads, this release is worth taking promptly. Upgrading For most users, pip install --upgrade mssql-python is all you need. If you had local workarounds for broken with connection: transaction behavior, Apple Silicon import issues, or binary NULL parameter binding, 1.11.0 is the release where those workarounds should become unnecessary. This is not a feature-heavy release. We opted to focus on the friction you are reporting in real production workflows: transactional with blocks now persist successful work Apple Silicon setup is smoother on clean machines binary NULL parameters are more reliable SSH-tunnel and threaded forwarding scenarios are less fragile service principal bulk copy is unblocked Thank you Thanks to everyone who filed issues, sent repros, and reviewed fixes in this cycle. Several of the changes in 1.11.0 came directly from concrete user reports in production-like environments, which made the failure modes easier to reproduce and fix. If you upgrade to 1.11.0 and hit anything unexpected, please open an issue in the repository. Repository: microsoft/mssql-python Issue tracker: open an issue Release notes: mssql-python v1.11.0Announcing Microsoft.Data.SqlClient 7.0.2 and 6.1.6
We are pleased to announce the release of Microsoft.Data.SqlClient 7.0.2 and 6.1.6, stable servicing updates now available on NuGet. Both releases include: WAM broker support for supported Microsoft Entra ID authentication modes on Windows TDS parsing security hardening with strict data-length bounds checks Key bug fixes, including a SqlDataReader null-reference path and an Always Encrypted signature verification cache fix Install or update from NuGet: dotnet add package Microsoft.Data.SqlClient --version 7.0.2 or dotnet add package Microsoft.Data.SqlClient --version 6.1.6 Full release notes: 7.0.2: https://github.com/dotnet/SqlClient/releases/tag/v7.0.2 6.1.6: https://github.com/dotnet/SqlClient/releases/tag/v6.1.6 What's in these releases WAM broker support for supported Entra ID authentication modes (Windows) Both servicing releases add support for the Web Account Manager (WAM) broker in supported Entra ID authentication flows on Windows. This enables OS-brokered token handling, better single sign-on behavior with the signed-in Windows account, and improved support for Conditional Access and Windows Hello scenarios. For application code, this is exposed through ActiveDirectoryAuthenticationProviderOptions, including the UseWamBroker property. Hardened TDS token parsing The TDS parser now validates declared token data lengths against the available input buffer before reading. This improves resilience against malformed or hostile protocol payloads and helps prevent out-of-bounds token parsing behavior. For well-formed SQL Server responses, behavior is unchanged. SqlDataReader null-reference fix These releases include a fix for a SqlDataReader null-reference path in buffer-based reads. Calls that previously could fail with NullReferenceException now correctly surface argument validation errors. Always Encrypted signature-cache fix The Always Encrypted column master key signature verification cache logic was corrected so cached verification results are read and applied using the correct key and value. This prevents stale or mismatched cache outcomes from being treated as valid signature verification results. Additional note for 7.0.2 users Starting with version 7.0.2, Microsoft.Data.SqlClient and companion extension packages are version-aligned to 7.0.2. If your application references extension packages (for example Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.Extensions.Azure), upgrade them to the same version for compatibility. Getting started If you are new to Microsoft.Data.SqlClient, check out the introduction documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/sql/connect/ado-net/introduction-microsoft-data-sqlclient-namespace For users of System.Data.SqlClient, see the porting cheat sheet: https://github.com/dotnet/SqlClient/blob/main/porting-cheat-sheet.md If you encounter any issues, please report them on GitHub: https://github.com/dotnet/SqlClient/issues
