Microsoft’s fully managed cloud relational database service built on the SQL Server engine, delivering automatic patching, backups, high availability, and elastic scaling without the overhead of managing infrastructure.
- Platform as a Service (PaaS): Azure SQL Database is a fully managed PaaS offering in which Microsoft manages the underlying infrastructure, operating system updates, SQL Server patching, backups, and high availability.
- Deployment options: Azure SQL Database supports multiple deployment models, including Single Database, Elastic Pools for sharing resources across multiple databases, and Hyperscale for databases up to 100 TB with rapid scale-out capabilities.
- Azure SQL Managed Instance: Azure SQL Managed Instance offers near-complete compatibility with on-premises SQL Server, making it the preferred lift-and-shift solution for complex SQL Server workloads.
- DBA responsibilities: In Azure SQL Database, DBAs spend less time managing infrastructure and more time optimizing database performance, configuring security, controlling costs, and improving database design.
- Built-in intelligence: Azure SQL Database includes intelligent performance features such as Automatic Tuning, Query Performance Insight, and Intelligent Query Processing to help optimize workloads automatically.
- Relevant Idera tools: SQL Diagnostic Manager monitors Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance alongside on-premises SQL Server from a unified management console.
- Related terms: Azure SQL Managed Instance, Hybrid Cloud SQL Server, Automatic Tuning, PaaS.
