azure-sql-database

# Azure SQL Database Skill This skill provides expert guidance for Azure SQL Database. 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](https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/mcp/blob/main/README.md) 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-L61 | Diagnosing and fixing Azure SQL issues: performance (CPU, memory, deadlocks, blocking), connectivity, scaling, import/export, geo-replication, Data Sync, and transaction log/full errors. | | Best Practices | L62-L78 | Operational best practices for Azure SQL: monitoring, HA/DR, maintenance, security, auditing, scaling, file management, Data Sync, and adapting on-prem SQL workloads to Azure SQL. | | Decision Making | L79-L105 | Guidance on choosing Azure SQL tiers, pricing models, migration paths, DR options, automation, and cost/benefit decisions (DTU vs vCore, serverless, Hyperscale, reservations, Hybrid Benefit). | | Architecture & Design Patterns | L106-L123 | Architectural patterns for Azure SQL apps: geo-replication, DR/BCP, connectivity/routing, sharding & elastic scale, multi-tenant SaaS models, Hyperscale internals, and upgrade/failover designs. | | Limits & Quotas | L124-L139 | Backup immutability, free tier quotas/limits, DTU/vCore and serverless resource caps, billing rules, and maintenance window limits for Azure SQL Database and elastic pools. | | Security | L140-L207 | Configuring Azure SQL security: Entra auth and identities, networking and firewalls, auditing and threat protection, TDE and Key Vault keys, data masking, DR security, and compliance controls. | | Configuration | L208-L279 | Configuring Azure SQL databases: monitoring, alerts, backups, replication/failover, scaling (single, pools, serverless), security (encryption, audit), maintenance windows, and CLI/PowerShell automation. | | Integrations & Coding Patterns | L280-L309 | Connecting to Azure SQL from various languages/tools, managing auditing, sharding, geo-replication, scaling, and automating operations via PowerShell, CLI, REST, Spark, and Stream Analytics. | | Deployment | L310-L321 | Deploying and managing Azure SQL databases: CI/CD with GitHub Actions, scaling and tier changes (Hyperscale, elastic pools), regional moves, redundancy, Terraform provisioning, and feature availability by region. | ### Troubleshooting | Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Troubleshoot 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 | | Analyze and prevent deadlocks in Azure SQL Database | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/analyze-prevent-deadlocks?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 | | Use RecoveryManager to fix Azure SQL shard maps | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-database-recovery-manager?view=azuresql | | Troubleshoot Azure SQL Database Elastic Scale issues | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-scale-faq?view=azuresql | | Diagnose and fix high CPU in Azure SQL Database | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/high-cpu-diagnose-troubleshoot?view=azuresql | | Troubleshoot performance issues in Azure SQL Hyperscale | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/hyperscale-performance-diagnostics?view=azuresql | | Diagnose Azure SQL query performance bottlenecks | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/identify-query-performance-issues?view=azuresql | | Monitor and troubleshoot In-Memory OLTP storage capacity | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/in-memory-oltp-monitor-space?view=azuresql | | Diagnose Azure SQL performance using DMVs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/monitoring-with-dmvs?view=azuresql | | Use Azure Resource Health to troubleshoot Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/resource-health-to-troubleshoot-connectivity?view=azuresql | | Troubleshoot common Azure SQL Data Sync issues | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/sql-data-sync-troubleshoot?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 | | Identify and resolve blocking in Azure SQL Database | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/understand-resolve-blocking?view=azuresql | | 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 | | Resolve transaction log full errors 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 | |-------|-----| | Analyze Azure SQL monitoring data with KQL and T-SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database-watcher-analyze?view=azuresql | | Apply Azure SQL auditing best practices in production | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/auditing-best-practices?view=azuresql | | Run disaster recovery drills for Azure SQL workloads | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/disaster-recovery-drills?view=azuresql | | Optimize resource management in dense Azure SQL elastic pools | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-pool-resource-management?view=azuresql | | Configure and operate Azure SQL failover groups with best practices | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/failover-group-sql-db?view=azuresql | | Manage and shrink Azure SQL Database file space | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/file-space-manage?view=azuresql-db | | Apply HA and DR configuration checklist for Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/high-availability-disaster-recovery-checklist?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 | | Understand auto-pause and resume behavior for Azure SQL serverless | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/serverless-tier-auto-pause-resume?view=azuresql | | Apply best practices for Azure SQL Data Sync | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/sql-data-sync-best-practices?view=azuresql | | Adapt SQL Server T-SQL for Azure SQL Database | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/transact-sql-tsql-differences-sql-server?view=azuresql | ### Decision Making | Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Decide when to use Azure Hybrid Benefit for Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/azure-hybrid-benefit?view=azuresql | | Use Azure SQL decision tree to choose service | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/azure-sql-decision-tree?view=azuresql | | Plan deployment of Always Encrypted secure enclaves in Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/always-encrypted-enclaves-plan?view=azuresql | | Plan and manage Azure SQL Database costs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/cost-management?view=azuresql | | Choose Azure SQL disaster recovery options for regional outages | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/disaster-recovery-guidance?view=azuresql | | Choose migration path from elastic query shard map manager | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-query-horizontal-partitioning-migration?view=azuresql | | Compare Azure SQL Database and Managed Instance features | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/features-comparison?view=azuresql | | Plan and use Hyperscale elastic pools for Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/hyperscale-elastic-pool-overview?view=azuresql | | Choose job automation options for Azure SQL and Synapse | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/job-automation-overview?view=azuresql | | Plan and manage Azure SQL Hyperscale databases | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/manage-hyperscale-database?view=azuresql | | Plan migration from DTU to vCore in Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/migrate-dtu-to-vcore?view=azuresql | | Choose Azure SQL Database vCore vs DTU purchasing | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/purchasing-models?view=azuresql | | Choose and use Azure Reservations for Azure SQL compute | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/reservations-discount-overview?view=azuresql | | Reverse migrate Azure SQL Hyperscale to General Purpose | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/reverse-migrate-from-hyperscale?view=azuresql | | Decide when to use Azure SQL serverless compute tier | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/serverless-tier-overview?view=azuresql | | Decide when to use Azure SQL Hyperscale tier | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/service-tier-hyperscale-frequently-asked-questions-faq?view=azuresql | | Choose and use Hyperscale secondary replica types | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/service-tier-hyperscale-replicas?view=azuresql | | Decide when to use Azure SQL Hyperscale tier | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/service-tier-hyperscale?view=azuresql | | Use DTU-based purchasing model for Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/service-tiers-dtu?view=azuresql | | Choose and configure vCore purchasing model for Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/service-tiers-sql-database-vcore?view=azuresql | | Select migration alternatives for retiring SQL Data Sync | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/sql-data-sync-retirement-migration?view=azuresql | | Choose and plan migration to Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/migration-guides/?view=azuresql | | Plan and decide SQL Server to Azure SQL migrations | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/migration-guides/modernization?view=azuresql | ### Architecture & Design Patterns | Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Plan Azure SQL Database business continuity and DR | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/business-continuity-high-availability-disaster-recover-hadr-overview?view=azuresql | | Understand Azure SQL connectivity architecture and routing | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connectivity-architecture?view=azuresql | | Understand Azure SQL connectivity architecture and connection policies | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connectivity-architecture?view=azuresql | | Choose geo-replication patterns for global Azure SQL apps | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/designing-cloud-solutions-for-disaster-recovery?view=azuresql | | Disaster recovery patterns for Azure SQL elastic pools | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/disaster-recovery-strategies-for-applications-with-elastic-pool?view=azuresql | | Configure elastic queries over sharded Azure SQL databases | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-query-horizontal-partitioning?view=azuresql | | Query vertically partitioned Azure SQL databases | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-query-vertical-partitioning?view=azuresql | | Design elastic scale-out architectures with Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-scale-introduction?view=azuresql | | Move and rebalance data between sharded Azure SQL databases | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-scale-overview-split-and-merge?view=azuresql | | Configure geo-distributed Azure SQL applications with failover | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/geo-distributed-application-configure-tutorial?view=azuresql | | Design Azure SQL local and zone redundancy | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/high-availability-sla-local-zone-redundancy?view=azuresql | | Understand Azure SQL Hyperscale distributed architecture | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/hyperscale-architecture?view=azuresql | | Design rolling upgrade patterns with Azure SQL geo-replication | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/manage-application-rolling-upgrade?view=azuresql | | Select multitenant SaaS tenancy models on Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/saas-tenancy-app-design-patterns?view=azuresql | ### Limits & Quotas | Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Understand automatic backup immutability for Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/automatic-backup-immutability?view=azuresql |