azure-sql-managed-instance

name	azure-sql-managed-instance
description	Expert knowledge for Azure SQL Managed Instance development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. Use when planning MI tiers/migrations, configuring networking/replication, tuning performance, or securing Entra/TDE, and other Azure SQL Managed Instance related development tasks. Not for Azure SQL Database (use azure-sql-database), SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines (use azure-sql-virtual-machines), Azure Database for MySQL (use azure-database-mysql), Azure Database for PostgreSQL (use azure-database-postgresql). Use when this capability is needed.
metadata	{"author":"gabrielmoreira"}

Azure SQL Managed Instance Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure SQL Managed Instance. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

How to Use This Skill

IMPORTANT for Agent: Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., L35-L120), use read_file with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., [security.md](security.md)), use read_file on the linked reference file

IMPORTANT for Agent: If metadata.generated_at is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If mcp_microsoftdocs tools are not available, suggest the user install it: Installation Guide

This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content:

• Preferred: Use mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch with query string from=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown.
• Fallback: Use fetch_webpage with query string from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.

Category Index

Category	Lines	Description
Troubleshooting	L37-L55	Diagnosing and fixing Azure SQL Managed Instance issues: deployment/scale errors, performance, connectivity, geo‑replication, memory/log full, XTP storage, MI Link, and Entra Kerberos auth.
Best Practices	L56-L77	Best practices for monitoring, tuning, securing, and operating Azure SQL Managed Instance, including performance, HA/DR, maintenance, alerts, and read-scale/replication scenarios.
Decision Making	L78-L91	Guidance for choosing Azure SQL MI vs other Azure SQL options, selecting tiers and subnet sizes, configuring standby/replicas, and planning migrations from SQL Server, Db2, and Oracle.
Architecture & Design Patterns	L92-L96	Connectivity architecture, networking models, and connection options for Azure SQL Database, including gateways, endpoints, firewalls, and integration with VNets and private access.
Limits & Quotas	L97-L105	Limits, quotas, and capacity for Azure SQL MI: DTU characteristics, free-tier caps, memory/OLTP limits, maintenance windows, and how to review or request higher resource quotas.
Security	L106-L160	Configuring Azure SQL Managed Instance security: Entra auth, identities, TDE & Key Vault, TLS, auditing, threat protection, private endpoints, Windows/Kerberos auth, and secure configuration.
Configuration	L161-L209	Configuring and operating SQL Managed Instance: deployment and networking, backup/restore and retention, maintenance and updates, monitoring/alerts, auditing, and feature behaviors vs SQL Server.
Integrations & Coding Patterns	L210-L233	Connecting apps and tools to SQL Managed Instance (.NET, Java, Python, etc.), automation, data import, DTC, XEvents, MI Link, backups, tracing, and Spark integration.
Deployment	L234-L254	Deploying, scaling, moving, and pausing Azure SQL Managed Instance; networking setup, regional availability, DR/replication, migrations, and BACPAC import/export.

Troubleshooting

Topic	URL
Resolve Azure SQL capacity deployment and scaling errors	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/capacity-errors-troubleshoot?view=azuresql
Resolve common Azure SQL database watcher issues	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database-watcher-faq?view=azuresql
Fix slow database import and export in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/database-import-export-hang?view=azuresql
Troubleshoot Azure SQL performance using Intelligent Insights	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/intelligent-insights-troubleshoot-performance?view=azuresql
Troubleshoot transient connectivity errors for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/troubleshoot-common-connectivity-issues?view=azuresql
Troubleshoot Azure SQL and Fabric SQL connectivity errors	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/troubleshoot-common-errors-issues?view=azuresql
Troubleshoot geo-replication and redo lag in Azure SQL Database	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/troubleshoot-geo-replication-redo?view=azuresql
Investigate and fix memory issues in Azure SQL Database	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/troubleshoot-memory-errors-issues?view=azuresql
Resolve transaction log full errors in Azure SQL Database	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/troubleshoot-transaction-log-errors-issues?view=azuresql-db

Best Practices

Topic	URL
Analyze Azure SQL monitoring data with KQL and T-SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database-watcher-analyze?view=azuresql
Performance tuning guidance for Azure SQL applications	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/performance-guidance?view=azuresql
Plan for Azure SQL planned maintenance events	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/planned-maintenance?view=azuresql
Configure and use read scale-out replicas in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/read-scale-out?view=azuresql
Apply security best practices for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/security-best-practice?view=azuresql
Identify and resolve Azure SQL query performance issues	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/identify-query-performance-issues?view=azuresql
Set up alerts and notifications for Azure SQL Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/alerts-create?view=azuresql
Run disaster recovery drills for SQL Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/disaster-recovery-drills?view=azuresql
Design Azure SQL Managed Instance disaster recovery	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/disaster-recovery-guidance?view=azuresql
Use failover groups for geo-replication in SQL Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/failover-group-sql-mi?view=azuresql

Decision Making

Topic	URL
Use Azure SQL decision tree to choose service	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/azure-sql-decision-tree?view=azuresql
Compare Azure SQL Database vs Managed Instance features	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/features-comparison?view=azuresql
Configure license-free standby replica for SQL Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/failover-group-standby-replica-how-to-configure?view=azuresql
Choose between Log Replay Service and Managed Instance link	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/log-replay-service-compare-mi-link?view=azuresql
Compare ML Services in SQL Managed Instance vs SQL Server	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/machine-learning-services-differences?view=azuresql
Choose vCore service tiers for SQL Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/service-tiers-managed-instance-vcore?view=azuresql
Use Next-gen General Purpose tier in SQL MI	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/service-tiers-next-gen-general-purpose-use?view=azuresql
Determine subnet size and IP range for Azure SQL Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/vnet-subnet-determine-size?view=azuresql
Plan and execute Db2 to SQL Managed Instance migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/migration-guides/managed-instance/db2-to-managed-instance-guide?view=azuresql

Architecture & Design Patterns

Topic	URL
Understand connectivity architecture for Azure SQL Database	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connectivity-architecture?view=azuresql

Limits & Quotas

Topic	URL
Understand DTU benchmark characteristics for Azure SQL Database	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/dtu-benchmark?view=azuresql
Understand free-tier limits for Azure SQL Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/free-offer?view=azuresql
Adopt In-memory OLTP and understand memory limits in SQL MI	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/in-memory-oltp-configure?view=azuresql
Understand Azure SQL Managed Instance maintenance windows	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/maintenance-window-faq?view=azuresql
Review Azure SQL Managed Instance resource limits	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/resource-limits?view=azuresql

Security

Topic	URL
Configure Microsoft Entra authentication for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/authentication-aad-configure?view=azuresql
Assign Directory Readers role for Azure SQL identities	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/authentication-aad-directory-readers-role-tutorial?view=azuresql
Configure Directory Readers and permissions for Azure SQL identities	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/authentication-aad-directory-readers-role?view=azuresql
Create and use Microsoft Entra guest admins for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/authentication-aad-guest-users?view=azuresql
Configure Microsoft Entra authentication for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/authentication-aad-overview?view=azuresql
Use Entra service principals with Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/authentication-aad-service-principal?view=azuresql
Create and manage Entra logins in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/authentication-azure-ad-logins-tutorial?view=azuresql
Use Microsoft Entra server principals in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/authentication-azure-ad-logins?view=azuresql
Create Azure SQL server with Entra-only authentication	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/authentication-azure-ad-only-authentication-create-server?view=azuresql

Configuration

Topic	URL
Configure alerts on Azure SQL monitoring data with database watcher	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database-watcher-alerts?view=azuresql
Understand database watcher datasets and collected metrics	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database-watcher-data?view=azuresql
Create and configure database watcher for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database-watcher-manage?view=azuresql
Create a database watcher with Entra auth and private connectivity	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database-watcher-quickstart?view=azuresql
Configure Intelligent Insights performance monitoring for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/intelligent-insights-overview?view=azuresql
Use Intelligent Insights diagnostics logs for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/intelligent-insights-use-diagnostics-log?view=azuresql
Configure long-term backup retention for Azure SQL Database	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/long-term-backup-retention-configure?view=azuresql
Configure metrics and diagnostic log streaming for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/metrics-diagnostic-telemetry-logging-streaming-export-configure?view=azuresql
Reference monitoring metrics and logs for Azure SQL Database	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/monitoring-sql-database-azure-monitor-reference?view=azuresql

Integrations & Coding Patterns

Topic	URL
Connect to Azure SQL from .NET on all OSes	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connect-query-dotnet-core?view=azuresql
Use Visual Studio .NET to query Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connect-query-dotnet-visual-studio?view=azuresql
Connect to Azure SQL using Go and go-mssqldb	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connect-query-go?view=azuresql
Connect Java applications to Azure SQL with JDBC	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connect-query-java?view=azuresql
Use Node.js to connect and query Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connect-query-nodejs?view=azuresql
Use PHP to connect and query Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connect-query-php?view=azuresql
Connect and query Azure SQL using Python	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connect-query-python?view=azuresql
Use Ruby to connect and query Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connect-query-ruby?view=azuresql
Configure and use Spark connector with Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/spark-connector?view=azuresql
Create Azure SQL XEvent sessions with event_file	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/xevent-code-event-file?view=azuresql

Deployment

Topic	URL
Export Azure SQL databases to BACPAC files	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/database-export?view=azuresql
Import BACPAC files to create Azure SQL databases	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/database-import?view=azuresql
Check Azure SQL Database feature availability by region	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/region-availability?view=azuresql
Scale Azure SQL Database and Managed Instance resources	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/scale-resources?view=azuresql
Deploy Azure SQL Managed Instance using Bicep	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/create-bicep-quickstart?view=azuresql
Deploy Azure SQL Managed Instance via ARM template	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/create-template-quickstart?view=azuresql
Provision Azure SQL Managed Instance with Terraform	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/instance-create-terraform?view=azuresql
Stop and start Azure SQL Managed Instance to control costs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/instance-stop-start-how-to?view=azuresql
Configure disaster recovery to Azure SQL Managed Instance using Managed Instance link	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/managed-instance-link-disaster-recovery?view=azuresql
Cancel Azure SQL Managed Instance management operations

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