azure-sql-database

name	azure-sql-database
description	Expert knowledge for Azure SQL Database development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. Use when choosing DTU/vCore tiers, Hyperscale, geo-replication/HA, Data Sync/sharding, or automated CI/CD deployments, and other Azure SQL Database related development tasks. Not for Azure SQL Managed Instance (use azure-sql-managed-instance), SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines (use azure-sql-virtual-machines), Azure Cosmos DB (use azure-cosmos-db), Azure Database for PostgreSQL (use azure-database-postgresql). Use when this capability is needed.
metadata	{"author":"atc-net"}

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: 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-L52	Diagnosing and fixing Azure SQL issues: performance (CPU, memory, deadlocks, blocking), capacity/log, import/export, connectivity, geo-replication, Data Sync, and Managed Instance errors.
Best Practices	L54-L69	Best practices for Azure SQL operations: monitoring, auditing, security, HA/DR, failover, read replicas, maintenance, file space, Data Sync, and post-migration behavior.
Decision Making	L71-L93	Guidance for choosing Azure SQL service tiers, pricing models, automation/DR options, Hyperscale choices, and migration paths (DTU↔vCore, sharding, Data Sync, Hybrid Benefit, reservations).
Architecture & Design Patterns	L95-L112	Architectural patterns for Azure SQL: geo-replication, HA/DR, backups, connectivity, sharding/elastic scale-out, multi-tenant SaaS models, and rolling upgrade/failover designs.
Limits & Quotas	L114-L126	Limits, quotas, and resource caps for Azure SQL (free tiers, DTU/vCore, elastic pools, Hyperscale), plus how to request quota increases and watcher/operational constraints.
Security	L128-L197	Configuring Azure SQL security: auth (Entra, MFA, MI), network isolation, auditing, Defender, data protection (TDE, Always Encrypted, masking, classification), compliance, and best‑practice hardening.
Configuration	L199-L264	Configuring Azure SQL databases and pools: monitoring, backups, geo-replication/failover, maintenance windows, security/immutability, scaling, elastic jobs/queries, and CLI/PowerShell/REST setup.
Integrations & Coding Patterns	L266-L295	Connecting apps and tools to Azure SQL (EF Core, .NET, Node.js, Python), sharding/elastic patterns, and automating management, replication, sync, and streaming via PowerShell/Spark/Stream Analytics
Deployment	L297-L311	Guides for deploying and moving Azure SQL databases: automation (GitHub, ARM, Bicep, Terraform), Hyperscale setup, regional moves, feature availability, and dev environment setup.

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
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
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
Use DMVs to troubleshoot Azure SQL performance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/monitoring-with-dmvs?view=azuresql
Use Azure Resource Health to troubleshoot Azure SQL

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 auditing best practices in production Azure SQL	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 Azure SQL Database file space and shrinking	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
Operate Azure SQL databases effectively after migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/manage-data-after-migrating-to-database?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

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	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
Migrate existing sharded databases to Elastic Tools	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-convert-to-use-elastic-tools?view=azuresql
Compare engine features of Azure SQL Database and Managed Instance	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

Architecture & Design Patterns

Topic	URL
Design and use active geo-replication for Azure SQL databases	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/active-geo-replication-overview?view=azuresql
Use automatic geo-redundant backups and restore in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/automated-backups-overview?view=azuresql
Plan Azure SQL business continuity, HA, and DR architecture	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
Use elastic query to run cross-database queries in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-query-overview?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

Limits & Quotas

Topic	URL
Review database watcher FAQs and operational constraints	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database-watcher-faq?view=azuresql
FAQ on Azure SQL Database free offer limits	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/free-offer-faq?view=azuresql
Understand Azure SQL Database free tier limits	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/free-offer?view=azuresql
Use Azure free account to deploy free Azure SQL database	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/free-sql-db-free-account-how-to-deploy?view=azuresql
Request quota increases for Azure SQL Database and Managed Instance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/quota-increase-request?view=azuresql
Elastic pool DTU resource limits for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/resource-limits-dtu-elastic-pools?view=azuresql
Single database DTU resource limits for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/resource-limits-dtu-single-databases?view=azuresql
Review vCore resource limits for Azure SQL elastic pools	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/resource-limits-vcore-elastic-pools?view=azuresql
Review vCore resource limits for single Azure SQL databases	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/resource-limits-vcore-single-databases?view=azuresql
Operational limits and behaviors for Azure SQL Hyperscale

Security

Topic	URL
Connect .NET to Azure SQL with Entra MFA	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/active-directory-interactive-connect-azure-sql-db?view=azuresql
Configure security for Azure SQL disaster recovery replicas	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/active-geo-replication-security-configure?view=azuresql
Configure Azure Attestation for Always Encrypted enclaves	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/always-encrypted-enclaves-configure-attestation?view=azuresql
Enable Always Encrypted with secure enclaves in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/always-encrypted-enclaves-enable?view=azuresql
Configure Always Encrypted with Intel SGX enclaves in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/always-encrypted-enclaves-getting-started-sgx?view=azuresql
Configure Always Encrypted with VBS enclaves in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/always-encrypted-enclaves-getting-started-vbs?view=azuresql
Get started with Always Encrypted secure enclaves in Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/always-encrypted-enclaves-getting-started?view=azuresql
Register Entra applications for Azure SQL access	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/application-authentication-get-client-id-keys?view=azuresql
Configure SQL auditing to storage behind VNets and firewalls	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/audit-write-storage-account-behind-vnet-firewall?view=azuresql

Configuration

Topic	URL
Configure Azure Monitor alerts for database watcher data	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 monitoring	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database-watcher-manage?view=azuresql
Set up database watcher to monitor Azure SQL workloads	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database-watcher-overview?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 active geo-replication and failover for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/active-geo-replication-configure-portal?view=azuresql
Configure ADO.NET direct routing ports for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/adonet-v12-develop-direct-route-ports?view=azuresql
Configure advance maintenance notifications for Azure SQL	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/advance-notifications?view=azuresql
Define and deploy Azure SQL resources with ARM templates	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/arm-templates-content-guide?view=azuresql
Interpret Azure SQL Database audit log format	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/audit-log-format?view=azuresql

Integrations & Coding Patterns

Topic	URL
Manage Azure SQL auditing using APIs and automation	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/auditing-manage-using-api?view=azuresql
Use Entity Framework Core with Azure SQL Database	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/azure-sql-dotnet-entity-framework-core-quickstart?view=azuresql
Connect and query Azure SQL using .NET SqlClient	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/azure-sql-dotnet-quickstart?view=azuresql
Query Azure SQL from Node.js using mssql package	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/azure-sql-javascript-mssql-quickstart?view=azuresql
Connect to Azure SQL using Python mssql-python driver	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/azure-sql-python-quickstart?view=azuresql
Connect and query Azure SQL using Python	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connect-query-python?view=azuresql
Build scalable .NET apps with Azure SQL Elastic Database client library	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-database-client-library?view=azuresql
Implement data-dependent routing for sharded Azure SQL databases	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-scale-data-dependent-routing?view=azuresql
Manage shard maps with Elastic Database client library	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/elastic-scale-shard-map-management?view=azuresql

Deployment

Topic	URL
Deploy Azure SQL database changes with GitHub Actions	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connect-github-actions-sql-db?view=azuresql
Convert Azure SQL databases to Hyperscale tier	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/convert-to-hyperscale?view=azuresql
Create transactionally consistent copies of Azure SQL databases	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/database-copy?view=azuresql
Create zone-redundant Azure SQL Hyperscale databases	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/hyperscale-create-zone-redundant-database?view=azuresql
Manage Hyperscale elastic pools with CLI and PowerShell	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/hyperscale-elastic-pool-command-line?view=azuresql
Set up Azure SQL dev environment using dev containers	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/local-dev-experience-dev-containers-quickstart?view=azuresql
Move Azure SQL databases and pools across regions	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/move-resources-across-regions?view=azuresql
Check Azure SQL Database feature availability by region	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/region-availability?view=azuresql
Deploy Azure SQL single database with ARM template	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/single-database-create-arm-template-quickstart?view=azuresql

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