azure-sql-virtual-machines

name	azure-sql-virtual-machines
description	Expert knowledge for SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. Use when choosing SQL on Azure VM, Always On AG/FCI, IaaS Agent, Key Vault/MI backups, or Blob Storage backup/restore, and other SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines related development tasks. Not for Azure SQL Database (use azure-sql-database), Azure SQL Managed Instance (use azure-sql-managed-instance), Azure Virtual Machines (use azure-virtual-machines), Azure Data Science Virtual Machines (use azure-data-science-vm). Use when this capability is needed.
metadata	{"author":"atc-net"}

Azure SQL Virtual Machines Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure SQL Virtual Machines. 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: This file may be large. Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections, then use read_file with specific line ranges (e.g., L136-L144) to read the sections needed for the user's question This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content. Use mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch to retrieve full articles.

• Fallback: Use the built-in WebFetch tool if the Microsoft Learn MCP server is not available.

Category Index

Category	Lines	Description
Troubleshooting	L31-L45	Diagnosing and fixing Azure SQL and SQL Server on Azure VM issues: connectivity, capacity, performance (I/O, memory, import/export), transaction logs, geo-replication, and IaaS Agent extension errors.
Best Practices	L47-L59	Performance, HA/DR, and maintenance best practices for SQL Server on Azure VMs: VM sizing, storage/tempdb tuning, baselines, backups, FCI/DNN, and cluster configuration.
Decision Making	L61-L72	Guidance for choosing SQL on Azure VM vs other Azure SQL options, migration from Db2/Oracle/SQL 2014, HADR/BCDR design, licensing (Hybrid Benefit), and cost/pricing decisions.
Architecture & Design Patterns	L74-L81	High-level designs and patterns for SQL Server on Azure VMs: connectivity, Always On availability groups, failover cluster instances, and Windows Server Failover Clustering setup.
Limits & Quotas	L83-L88	Info on Azure SQL capacity limits, DTU benchmark behavior, regional feature availability, and how to request quota increases for databases and managed instances
Security	L90-L99	Securing SQL Server on Azure VMs: policies, TLS cert rotation, Key Vault and EKM, Entra auth, managed identities, hardening guidance, and confidential VM deployment.
Configuration	L101-L140	Configuring SQL Server on Azure VMs: HA/DR (AGs, FCIs, listeners, load balancers), storage and SAN, clustering, backups, editions/versions, monitoring, and SQL IaaS Agent setup.
Integrations & Coding Patterns	L142-L146	Backing up and restoring SQL Server on Azure VMs directly to Azure Blob Storage, including configurations that use managed identities instead of stored credentials.
Deployment	L148-L164	Deploying and configuring SQL Server Always On availability groups and FCI on Azure VMs, including single/multi-subnet, cross-region, prerequisites, and migration of VMs and disks.

Troubleshooting

Topic	URL
Resolve capacity errors when deploying Azure SQL resources	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/capacity-errors-troubleshoot?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
Handle transient connectivity errors in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/troubleshoot-common-connectivity-issues?view=azuresql
Troubleshoot common connection issues for Azure SQL	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
Troubleshoot 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
Resolve known issues in Azure SQL Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/doc-changes-updates-known-issues?view=azuresql
Troubleshoot transaction log issues in Azure SQL Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/troubleshoot-transaction-log-errors-issues?view=azuresql-mi

Best Practices

Topic	URL
Prepare for planned maintenance in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/planned-maintenance?view=azuresql
Understand feature interoperability with DNN listeners	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/availability-group-dnn-interoperability?view=azuresql
Apply backup and restore strategies for SQL Server on Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/backup-restore?view=azuresql
Use SQL Server features with FCI DNN on Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/failover-cluster-instance-dnn-interoperability?view=azuresql
Configure HADR clusters for SQL Server on Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/hadr-cluster-best-practices?view=azuresql
Apply performance best practices checklist for SQL Server on Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/performance-guidelines-best-practices-checklist?view=azuresql
Collect performance baselines for SQL Server on Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/performance-guidelines-best-practices-collect-baseline?view=azuresql
Optimize storage performance for SQL Server on Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/performance-guidelines-best-practices-storage?view=azuresql
Select and tune VM sizes for SQL Server on Azure VMs

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
Answer migration and modernization questions for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/migration-guides/modernization?view=azuresql
Plan and execute Db2 to SQL on Azure VM migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/migration-guides/virtual-machines/db2-to-sql-on-azure-vm-guide?view=azuresql
Plan and execute Oracle to SQL on Azure VM migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/migration-guides/virtual-machines/oracle-to-sql-on-azure-vm-guide?view=azuresql
Use Modernization Advisor to compare SQL VM vs Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/modernization-advisor?view=azuresql
Choose HADR and business continuity options for SQL VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/business-continuity-high-availability-disaster-recovery-hadr-overview?view=azuresql
Switch SQL Server VM licensing to Azure Hybrid Benefit	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/licensing-model-azure-hybrid-benefit-ahb-change?view=azuresql
Choose cost-effective pricing options for SQL Server on Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/pricing-guidance?view=azuresql
Plan SQL Server 2014 end-of-support migration to Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/sql-server-extend-end-of-support?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
Apply SQL Server application patterns on Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/application-patterns-development-strategies?view=azuresql
Design Always On availability groups for SQL Server on Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/availability-group-overview?view=azuresql
Understand failover cluster instances for SQL Server on Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/failover-cluster-instance-overview?view=azuresql
Use Windows Server Failover Clustering with SQL Server on Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/hadr-windows-server-failover-cluster-overview?view=azuresql

Limits & Quotas

Topic	URL
Understand DTU benchmark characteristics for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/dtu-benchmark?view=azuresql
Request quota increases for Azure SQL resources	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/quota-increase-request?view=azuresql
Check regional feature availability for Azure SQL Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/region-availability?view=azuresql

Security

Topic	URL
Use built-in Azure Policy definitions for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/policy-reference?view=azuresql
Prepare for Azure SQL TLS root certificate rotation	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/updates/ssl-root-certificate-expiring?view=azuresql
Integrate Azure Key Vault with SQL Server on VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/azure-key-vault-integration-configure?view=azuresql
Enable Microsoft Entra authentication for SQL Server VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/configure-azure-ad-authentication-for-sql-vm?view=azuresql
Use managed identities with SQL EKM and Key Vault	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/managed-identity-extensible-key-management?view=azuresql
Harden SQL Server on Azure VMs with security best practices	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/security-considerations-best-practices?view=azuresql
Deploy SQL Server to Azure confidential VMs securely	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/sql-vm-create-confidential-vm-how-to?view=azuresql

Configuration

Topic	URL
Reference for Azure SQL Database monitoring metrics and logs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/monitoring-sql-database-azure-monitor-reference?view=azuresql
Reference for Azure SQL Managed Instance monitoring data	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/monitoring-sql-managed-instance-azure-monitor-reference?view=azuresql
Set up Always On AG with DH2i DxEnterprise on Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/linux/dh2i-high-availability-tutorial?view=azuresql
Configure availability group listener for Linux SQL VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/linux/high-availability-listener-tutorial?view=azuresql
Configure RHEL cluster and fencing for SQL AG on Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/linux/rhel-high-availability-fencing-tutorial?view=azuresql
Configure SLES cluster and STONITH for SQL AG on Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/linux/sles-high-availability-fencing-tutorial?view=azuresql
Register Linux SQL Server VM with IaaS Agent extension	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/linux/sql-iaas-agent-extension-register-vm-linux?view=azuresql
Configure SQL IaaS Agent extension on Linux VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/linux/sql-server-iaas-agent-extension-linux?view=azuresql

Integrations & Coding Patterns

Topic	URL
Back up SQL Server on Azure VMs to Azure Blob Storage	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/azure-storage-sql-server-backup-restore-use?view=azuresql
Back up and restore SQL VMs to Blob using managed identities	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/backup-restore-to-url-using-managed-identities?view=azuresql

Deployment

Topic	URL
Check Azure SQL Database feature availability by region	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/region-availability?view=azuresql
Deploy multi-subnet availability group using PowerShell/CLI	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/availability-group-az-commandline-configure-multi-subnet?view=azuresql
Deploy single-subnet availability group via PowerShell/CLI	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/availability-group-az-commandline-configure?view=azuresql
Configure domain-independent workgroup availability group	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/availability-group-clusterless-workgroup-configure?view=azuresql
Configure cross-region multi-subnet availability group	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/availability-group-manually-configure-multi-subnet-multiple-regions?view=azuresql
Configure cross-region availability group for SQL VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/availability-group-manually-configure-multiple-regions?view=azuresql
Prepare prerequisites for single-subnet availability groups	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/availability-group-manually-configure-prerequisites-tutorial-single-subnet?view=azuresql
Configure multi-subnet availability group on SQL VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/availability-group-manually-configure-tutorial-multi-subnet?view=azuresql

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Source: atc-net/atc-agentic-toolkit — distributed by TomeVault.