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Azure SQL Database

Build limitless, trusted, AI-ready apps on a fully managed SQL database
Overview

Build on fast, flexible, and elastic SQL

  • Power your resource-intensive apps and keep mission-critical workloads running at peak performance.
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  • Accelerate time to market with support for multiple data formats, platforms, and popular languages.
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  • Build new apps with flexible Hyperscale cloud databases that automatically scale with the pace of your business.
  • Protect your data and maintain business continuity with built-in controls and machine learning–based security capabilities.
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Try Azure SQL Database free of charge and get 100,000 vCore seconds of serverless compute and 32 GB of storage every month.
FEATURES

Build scalable and secure apps

Hyperscale
Rapidly scale up to meet demand and offload read workloads with scale-out support for up to 30 named replicas.
Azure data platform connection
Easily connect to other Azure services such as Azure Functions without writing your own code.
Local development environment
Develop and test locally with a containerized high-fidelity emulator with a Visual Studio Code extension.
Data API builder
Turn database objects into REST and GraphQL APIs and access data on any platform, language, or device.
Elastic pools
Cost-effectively manage and scale multiple databases that have unpredictable usage demands.
Intelligent query processing
Improve the query performance of existing workloads with minimal effort.
Serverless compute
Optimize price-performance with flexible serverless compute that automatically scales to meet demand.
Security and governance
Protect your data with a multilayered approach to security that includes Microsoft Defender for SQL.

Built-in security and compliance 

Microsoft has committed to investing USD 20 billion in cybersecurity over five years.
We employ more than 8,500 security and threat intelligence experts across 77 countries.
Azure has one of the largest compliance certification portfolios in the industry.
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PRICING

Pricing for the intelligent, relational cloud database service

Explore pricing options and find the performance tier that best fits your workload.
CUSTOMER STORIES

See how customers are innovating with Azure SQL Database

FAQ

  •  Azure SQL Database is available as a single database with its own set of resources managed via a logical server, and as a pooled database in an elastic pool, with a shared set of resources managed through a logical server. In general, elastic pools are designed for a typical software-as-a-service (SaaS) application pattern, with one database per customer or tenant. With pools, you manage the collective performance, and the databases scale up or down automatically.


    Learn more about elastic pools. Learn more about software as a service (SaaS) application pattern

  • Azure Hybrid Benefit helps you maximize the value of your current licensing investments and accelerate your migration to the cloud. Azure Hybrid Benefit for SQL Server is an Azure-based benefit that enables you to use your SQL Server licenses with active Microsoft Software Assurance to pay a reduced rate ("base rate") on vCore-based Azure SQL services. Further optimize your costs with centralized management of your Azure Hybrid Benefit across your entire subscription or billing account.

    Learn more about Azure Hybrid Benefit. Learn more about centralized management.

  • No. Azure SQL Database is a fully managed database service—Microsoft operates SQL Server for you and ensures its availability and performance. SQL Database also includes features to enhance your business continuity and security, such as built-in high availability and threat detection, so that you don't have to worry about administering or maintaining your SQL Server databases.

    Learn more about built-in high availability. Learn more about threat detection.

  • The vCore-based service tiers are primarily differentiated by availability, storage type, and input/output (I/O) per second. General purpose is a budget-oriented option that's best when input/output performance or failover time is not the priority. Hyperscale is optimized for online transaction processing (OLTP) and hybrid transactional analytical workloads. The business critical tier is best for OLTP applications with high transaction rates and low I/O latency requirements.

    Learn more about vCore-based service tiers.

  • Connectivity between Azure SQL Database and the Azure internet gateway is guaranteed at least 99.99 percent of the time, regardless of your service tier. The remaining 0.01 percent is reserved for patches, upgrades, and failovers. For more information, read the SLA and learn about the high-availability architecture.

    Learn more about the SLA. Learn more about the high-availability architecture.

  • SQL databases, also known as relational databases, are systems that store collections of tables and organize structured sets of data in a tabular columns-and-rows format, similar to that of a spreadsheet.

    Learn more about SQL databases.

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Start with USD 200 Azure credit.
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