Azure updates

Public Preview: Azure SQL updates for late-March 2024

Target availability: Q1 2024

Public preview enhancements and updates released for Azure SQL in late-March 2024.

• Azure SQL Database
• Features

Public Preview: Real-time text translation using the azure_ai extension in Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Target availability: Q1 2024

Text translation right within SQL facilitates building intelligent multilingual applications on Azure Database for PostgreSQL.

• Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• Features

Public Preview: Invoke Azure Machine Learning models using the azure_ai extension

Target availability: Q1 2024

Invoke Azure Machine Learning models in real-time from SQL in Azure Database for PostgreSQL.

• Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• Features

General availability: Migration service in Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Target availability: Q1 2024

Seamlessly migrate PostgreSQL to Azure using a managed service for complete schema and data transfers, hassle-free.

• Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• Features

General availability: Rate Limiting on ExpressRoute Direct Circuits

Rate Limiting is now generally available over ExpressRoute Direct port circuits, providing enhanced control over bandwidth usage. This Quality of Service (QoS) feature prevents circuits from bursting beyond their configured bandwidth, thereby improving network performance and reliability. Rate Limiting can be enabled for each circuit individually, offering flexibility to prioritize certain circuits. This feature can be activated during or after the creation of the ExpressRoute Direct circuit.

• Azure ExpressRoute
• Features

Public Preview: On-demand capacity reservations for Specialty SKUs

Target availability: Q2 2024

You can now reserve capacity with SLA for following Specialty VM sizes, Mv3 series, NC-series (v3 and newer), NV-series (v2 and newer), and Lsv2 series

• Pricing & Offerings

Public preview: Change partition key of a container in Azure Cosmos DB (NoSQL API)

Target availability: Q1 2024

The ability to change the partition key of a container in Azure Cosmos is now available in preview for NoSQL API.

• Azure Cosmos DB
• Features

Public Preview: Azure SQL Database Mirroring in Microsoft Fabric

Target availability: Q1 2024

Mirroring Azure SQL Database provides an easy experience to continuously replicate SQL DB data directly into Microsoft Fabric.

• Azure SQL Database
• Features

Azure Static Web Apps distributed functions capability now in Public Preview

Reduced latency by distributing managed functions to regions of high demand.

• Static Web Apps
• Features

Breaking Changes to Azure API Management Workspaces

Target availability: Q1 2024

As part of our commitment to enhancing workspaces (in Public Preview) within Azure API Management, we are implementing several critical breaking changes effective June 14, 2024. These changes are designed to streamline functionality and improve overall performance.   These breaking changes will be effective from June 14, 2024. We strongly advise making any necessary adjustments to your workspace configurations before this date to ensure uninterrupted service. 

• Features

General Availability: Automatic Scaling for App Service Web Apps

Azure App Service is pleased to announce general availability of the "Automatic Scaling" feature.

• App Service
• App Service (Linux)
• Features

Preview: New Features in Azure Container Storage

Azure Container Storage is a fully managed volume orchestration service built natively for containers. New capabilities include support for Temp SSD, simplified installation via AKS CLI, and scalable storage for cost-efficient workload management.

• Azure Container Storage
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

Public Preview: Agentless multi-disk crash consistent backup by Azure Backup for VM

Azure VM backup now supports agentless multi-disk crash consistent backups in public preview.

• Azure Backup
• Compliance

Action required: Upgrade your App Service apps to Node 20 LTS by 30 April 2025

Target retirement date: April 30, 2025

Extended support for Node 18 LTS is ending

• Retirements

Important Notice: Azure Product Retirement: End of Life Announcement of Azure Maps Creator Feature State Service Versions 31 March 2025

Target availability: Q1 2025

Azure Maps Creator Feature State Service will be retired on 31 March 2025.  

• Features

Azure Content Moderator will be retired on 15 March 2027

Target retirement date: March 15, 2027

We encourage users to explore our new offering Azure AI Content Safety that offers both new and updated capabilities to meet your content moderation needs.

• Retirements

Basic and Standard A-series VMs on HDInsight will retire on 31 August 2024

Target retirement date: August 31, 2024

On 31 August 2024, Azure will retire Basic and Standard A-series VMs as announced earlier on 24 August 2021. Before 31 August 2024, you need to migrate your HDInsight A series VMs to Av2-series VMs, which provide more memory per vCPU and faster storage on solid-state drives (SSDs). To avoid service disruptions, migrate your workloads from Basic and Standard A-series VMs to Av2-series VMs before 31 August 2024.

• HDInsight
• Retirements

Support for Connector for AWS in Cost Management is ending on 31 March 2025

Target retirement date: April 01, 2025

The Connector for AWS in the Cost Management service will be retired on 31 March 2025. By that date, please consider alternative cost management reporting for AWS available in the market.

• Microsoft Cost Management
• Retirements

Azure Synapse Runtime for Apache Spark 3.2 End of Support

Target retirement date: July 08, 2024

End of Support for Azure Synapse Runtime for Apache Spark 3.2. Apache Spark 3.2 will be retired and disabled as of July 8, 2024.

• Retirements