Azure SQL

SQL Security with Microsoft’s Zero Trust Workshop

SQL Security with Microsoft’s Zero Trust Workshop In today’s evolving threat landscape, data professionals, especially those managing SQL Server environments, must go beyond traditional perimeter-based security. Microsoft’s Zero Trust Assessment Tool offers a powerful way to evaluate and enhance your organization’s security posture using the principles of Zero Trust. What…


Microsoft Fabric Certification Guides

As data continues to drive innovation across industries, Microsoft Fabric has emerged as a unified platform for analytics, data engineering, and AI. With its growing adoption, Microsoft now offers role-based certifications to validate your expertise in Fabric. Whether you’re an aspiring analytics engineer or a seasoned data professional, there’s a…


Accelerating SQL Server Migration

Migrating SQL Server databases to the cloud has traditionally been a complex, time-consuming process. But with Microsoft’s new unified migration experience for SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc—now in public preview—the journey to Azure SQL Managed Instance is faster and simpler than ever.


Azure SQL Monitoring Tools and Automation

I often get asked about Automating Tasks and Monitoring Tools in Azure SQL, here are some helpful resources and scripts that can be used to test these features. All the scripts are in this Automated_AzureSQLDB.zip file. Database Watcher: Database watcher is a managed monitoring solution for database services in the Azure…


SQL Server and Azure SQL Newsletter (June 2025)

There have been quite a few announcements since Microsoft Build 2025 and I wanted to make sure your team did not miss anything. Azure SQL Announcements: May/June 2025 Public Preview – Data Virtualization for Azure SQL Database Using Azure Metrics, Alerts, and Automation Accounts to start an XE session Unlocking…


Migration Dashboard for SQL Server

Overview: Microsoft has announced the Migration Dashboard feature in the Azure portal, specifically for SQL Server instances enabled by Azure Arc. This dashboard provides a comprehensive view of your migration readiness and assessment coverage across all SQL Server instances. Key Features: Assessment Visibility: The dashboard automatically generates assessments for migration to Azure,…


SSMS 21 – Preview 3 Updates

I wanted to share some updates from the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) team, as highlighted in recent blog posts. These updates bring new capabilities to SSMS, which I believe will be beneficial for ongoing and future projects. SSMS 21 Preview 3 release: The latest preview of SSMS 21 introduces…


Azure SQL Newsletter – February 2025

In case you missed it: here is a summary of Azure SQL announcements for February 2025: Retirement of Azure Data Studio: ADS will remain supported until February 28, 2026, giving developers ample time to transition. This decision aligns with our commitment to simplifying SQL development by consolidating efforts on Visual Studio Code (VS Code) with…


Decision Guide for Analytical Data Store in Microsoft Fabric

Decision Guide for Selecting an Analytical Data Store in Microsoft Fabric Microsoft Fabric is a comprehensive analytics platform that integrates various data stores, including SQL Databases, Data Warehouses, Lakehouses, and Eventhouses. Each data store is designed to handle specific types of analytical workloads, making it essential to understand their unique…


Azure SQL Database vs. SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric

Key Features Comparison: Azure SQL Database vs. SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric Recently, Microsoft announced the Public Preview of SQL database in Microsoft Fabric. Many have asked what the key differences and similarities between Azure SQL Database and the SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric? For a detailed comparison, you can…