Azure Managed SQL Migration and Modernization Made Easy

Azure Managed SQL migration and modernization can be a daunting task, but with the right tools and expertise, it's made easy.

Azure Managed SQL supports online migrations, allowing for minimal downtime and ensuring business continuity.

By leveraging Azure's managed services, you can reduce the complexity and risk associated with traditional database migrations.

With Azure Managed SQL, you can modernize your database infrastructure with ease, taking advantage of the latest advancements in database technology.

Migration and modernization are key aspects of Azure Managed SQL. You can migrate your SQL Server databases to Azure SQL Managed Instance with minimal downtime using the Database Migration Service, which streamlines the migration process.

The Economic Value of Migrating On-Premises SQL Server Instances to Azure SQL Solutions report highlights the benefits of migration, including up to a 238 percent return on investment.

Azure SQL Managed Instance supports several database migration options, including SQL Server migration, and offers a fully managed service for seamless migrations with minimal downtime.

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Here are some migration methods you can use to move your data between SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, and Azure SQL Managed Instance:

SQL Managed Instance maintains the highest SQL Server compatibility levels, allowing you to keep using familiar tools and SQL Server features like cross-database queries and linked server.

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With SQL Managed Instance, you can always operate on the latest version of SQL, which means you'll never have to worry about updates, upgrades, or end of support.

This is because SQL Managed Instance is built on the SQL Server engine, so it's always up to date with the latest SQL features and functionality.

You can confidently modernize your existing apps at scale, knowing that you'll realize up to a 238 percent return on investment.

SQL Managed Instance combines the broadest SQL Server engine compatibility with all the benefits of a fully managed and evergreen platform as a service.

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Migration and modernization are key aspects of transitioning to Azure SQL Managed Instance. You can migrate your SQL Server databases to Azure SQL Managed Instance using various methods, including SQL Server migration and the Azure Database Migration Service.

The Azure Database Migration Service is a fully managed service that enables seamless migrations from multiple database sources to Azure data platforms with minimal downtime. This service streamlines the tasks required to move existing third-party and SQL Server databases to Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure VM.

Azure SQL Managed Instance supports several database migration options, including the Managed Instance link, which uses distributed availability groups to extend your SQL Server on-premises Always On availability group hosted anywhere to Azure SQL Managed Instance in a safe and secure manner.

You can use different migration methods to move your data between SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, and Azure SQL Managed Instance. Here are some options:

The Managed Instance link feature facilitates migrating from SQL Server to SQL Managed Instance, enabling the most performant, minimal downtime migration compared to all other solutions available today.

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The vCore-based purchasing model for SQL Managed Instance offers flexibility and control over your workload requirements. This model allows you to change compute, memory, and storage based on your needs.

With the vCore model, you can choose from different hardware configurations. The Standard Series logical CPUs are based on Intel E5-2673 v4 (Broadwell) 2.3 GHz processors, with 5.1 GB of RAM per CPU vCore.

The Premium Series logical CPUs are based on Intel 8370C (Ice Lake) 2.8-GHz processors, with 7 GB of RAM per CPU vCore. This configuration is available up to 128 vCores.

The Premium Series Memory-Optimized logical CPUs are based on Intel 8370C (Ice Lake) 2.8-GHz processors, with 13.6 GB of RAM per CPU vCore. This configuration is available up to 64 vCores.

Here are the details of the available hardware configurations:

The vCore model is also eligible for up to 55 percent savings with the Azure Hybrid Benefit for SQL Server.

Azure SQL Managed Instance is a game-changer for businesses looking to modernize their SQL Server applications. With a managed, always-up-to-date SQL instance in the cloud, you can confidently modernize your existing apps at scale and realize up to a 238 percent return on investment.

One of the key features of Azure SQL Managed Instance is its ability to deliver close to 100% surface area compatibility with the latest SQL Server version. This means that most features of SQL Server are also compatible with SQL Managed Instance, making it an ideal choice for businesses that want to take advantage of the latest SQL Server features without having to worry about compatibility issues.

Azure SQL Managed Instance also offers a range of benefits, including:

In terms of business continuity, Azure SQL Managed Instance offers a range of features, including:

Azure SQL Managed Instance also offers a range of security and compliance features, including:

In terms of management, Azure SQL Managed Instance offers a range of features, including:

Overall, Azure SQL Managed Instance is a powerful and flexible solution that can help businesses modernize their SQL Server applications and take advantage of the latest SQL Server features.

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Prices for Azure Managed SQL are estimates only and are not intended as actual price quotes. Actual pricing may vary depending on the type of agreement entered with Microsoft, date of purchase, and the currency exchange rate.

To get the most accurate pricing, sign in to the Azure pricing calculator to see pricing based on your current program/offer with Microsoft. Contact an Azure sales specialist for more information on pricing or to request a price quote.

US government entities can purchase Azure Government services with no upfront financial commitment, or directly through a pay-as-you-go online subscription.

Pricing options are available for customization to meet your specific needs. You can apply filters to tailor prices to your requirements.

Prices are estimates only and may vary depending on several factors, including the type of agreement with Microsoft and the currency exchange rate. Actual pricing may differ from the estimated prices.

Sign in to the Azure pricing calculator to view pricing based on your current program or offer with Microsoft. This will give you a more accurate estimate of your costs.

US government entities have the option to purchase Azure Government services with no upfront financial commitment or through a pay-as-you-go online subscription. This can be a cost-effective solution for government agencies.

Prices for SQL Database will be effective April 1, 2019. This means that any changes to pricing will take effect at the start of that month.

You can meet your mission-critical requirements up to five times faster while paying up to 93 percent less than AWS RDS with SQL Managed Instance. This is a significant cost savings compared to other cloud services.

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When choosing a service tier for your SQL Managed Instance, you have two options to consider: General Purpose and Business Critical.

The General Purpose tier is designed for applications with typical performance and I/O latency requirements.

You can also use the upgraded Next-gen General Purpose service tier (preview) for improved performance metrics and greater resource flexibility.

The Business Critical tier, on the other hand, is designed for applications that require low I/O latency and minimal impact from underlying maintenance operations.

This tier is ideal for workloads that can't afford any downtime or performance degradation.

Here are the key differences between the two service tiers:

Azure Managed SQL offers advanced security features, including native virtual network implementation and connectivity to on-premises environments using Azure ExpressRoute or VPN Gateway.

SQL Managed Instance provides additional security isolation from other tenants on the Azure platform. This includes single-tenant with dedicated underlying infrastructure, and the SQL endpoint is exposed only through a private IP address in a default deployment.

Here are some key security features:

Azure SQL Managed Instance adheres to the same compliance standards as Azure SQL Database, and it is certified against a number of compliance standards.

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Designating a secondary replica for disaster recovery (DR) only in Azure SQL Managed Instance can save you on vCore licensing costs.

This is a great way to reduce expenses, especially for businesses with limited budgets.

To take advantage of this benefit, you can review the License-free DR benefit section to learn more about the process.

By doing so, you can ensure that your DR setup is optimized for cost savings.

SQL Managed Instance comes with advanced security features provided by the Azure platform and the SQL Server database engine. This includes features like transparent data encryption (TDE), which ensures that data is protected even in the event of a security breach.

SQL Managed Instance provides additional security isolation from other tenants on the Azure platform. This includes native virtual network implementation and connectivity to your on-premises environment using Azure ExpressRoute or VPN Gateway.

The SQL endpoint is exposed only through a private IP address, allowing safe connectivity from private Azure or hybrid networks. This provides an additional layer of security and helps prevent unauthorized access.

SQL Managed Instance is a single-tenant service with dedicated underlying infrastructure (compute, storage). This ensures that your data is isolated and not shared with other tenants.

Here are some key security features of SQL Managed Instance:

SQL Managed Instance adheres to the same compliance standards as Azure SQL Database. This includes certifications against a number of compliance standards, which can be found on the Microsoft Azure Compliance Offerings website.

Azure SQL Managed Instance has a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that guarantees a certain level of uptime and availability. This means that your database will be available at least 99.99% of the time.

The SLA is reviewed in the Azure documentation, where you can find the specifics of what's covered and what's not. It's essential to review this agreement to understand your responsibilities and Azure's commitments.

Azure SQL Managed Instance is designed to provide high availability and reliability, which is reflected in its SLA. This means that you can trust your data to be safe and accessible when you need it.

For example, the SLA specifies that Azure SQL Managed Instance will be available at least 99.99% of the time, excluding planned maintenance and unforeseen circumstances.

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Azure Managed SQL offers a reliable backup and recovery solution. Backups are stored in Azure Blob storage and can be directly restored into a managed instance using the T-SQL RESTORE command.

For a quick and easy restore, you can follow the instructions in the quickstart on restoring a backup file to a managed instance. This involves uploading a backup file to Azure Blob Storage and securing it with a shared access signature (SAS).

Backups from a managed instance can only be restored to other managed instances or to SQL Server 2022. They cannot be restored to other versions of SQL Server or to Azure SQL Database.

The retention period for backups can be increased to up to 35 days, allowing you to restore any corrupted or deleted database to any point in time within that period. The storage is used by weekly full backups, daily differential backups, and frequent transaction log backups in between.

The backup cost depends on the size of the database, the rate of change, and the configured retention period. The backup storage amount equal to the database size is provided at no extra charge, but additional backup storage consumption will be charged in GB/month.

Here's a breakdown of the pricing for backup storage:

Azure SQL Managed Instance is a great choice for businesses looking to scale their databases without the hassle of managing the underlying infrastructure. It's a fully managed database-as-a-service that's integrated with Azure.

You can learn more about its features and capabilities, and how they can benefit your organization.

Microsoft Entra integration allows you to centrally manage identities of database users and other Microsoft services with Microsoft Entra integration.

SQL Managed Instance supports traditional SQL Server database engine logins and logins integrated with Microsoft Entra ID. This simplifies permission management and enhances security.

Microsoft Entra server principals (logins) are an Azure cloud version of on-premises database logins that use in your on-premises environment.

With Microsoft Entra integration, you can specify users and groups from your Microsoft Entra tenant as true instance-scoped principals, capable of performing any instance-level operation.

A new syntax is introduced to create Microsoft Entra server principals (logins), FROM EXTERNAL PROVIDER. For more information on the syntax, see CREATE LOGIN.

Microsoft Entra ID supports multifactor authentication to increase data and application security while supporting a single sign-on process.

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Cloud computing offers a scalable and flexible way to deploy applications and services. Azure SQL Managed Instance is a great example, allowing you to learn more about its features and capabilities.

The cloud provides a robust infrastructure for businesses to migrate their on-premises databases to the cloud. Azure SQL Managed Instance is designed to provide a managed database service in the cloud.

Cloud services often come with built-in security features, such as encryption and access controls. Azure SQL Managed Instance is no exception, with its own set of security features and capabilities.

Cloud migration can be a complex process, but with the right tools and resources, it can be done efficiently. Azure SQL Managed Instance provides a managed database service that can simplify the migration process.

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