Azure SQL Dev Corner
Voices from the Azure SQL PM Team, focusing on development and developers
Latest posts
DiskANN Vector Index Improvements
Remember when we announced the Public Preview of DiskANN vector indexes back in November and mentioned that once you created the index, your table became read‑only? Yeah… about that... �?� We shipped early because the demand for Vector search in SQL was overwhelming. We knew the constraints weren’t ideal, but we also knew the fastest way to get this into your hands was to iterate in public. You gave us feedback. Lots of it! And today, we’re excited to say: those major preview limitations are gone. We are happy to announce that the DiskANN Vector Index public preview just received a major upgrade, removing the in...
MSSQL Extension for VS Code: SQL Notebooks, AI-Powered Schema Design, Data API builder & More
The MSSQL extension for VS Code v1.41 continues to evolve, delivering features that make SQL development more integrated, more powerful, and more developer-friendly. In this release, we're introducing the Public Preview of Schema Designer with GitHub Copilot, Data API builder, and SQL Notebooks, along with the General Availability of Data-tier Application, Fabric integration, and SQL Database Projects static code analysis: seven capabilities that bring AI-powered schema design, instant API generation, interactive notebooks, and enterprise-grade tooling directly into your development workflow inside Visual Stu...
The Polyglot tax – Part 2
When JSON Met Graph Part 2 of 4 - The Multimodal Database Series A note on naming. Throughout this series, when we say "SQL Server 2025" we also mean Azure SQL. The multimodal capabilities we discuss - native JSON, graph, vector, and columnstore - are available across both the on-premises engine and the Azure SQL family. In Part 1 we described the moment every fast-moving project hits: the agent built your prototype in a morning, and now the product team wants features that do not fit neatly into relational tables. Device fingerprints arrive as nested JSON. The anti-fraud team needs to trace connections ...
What questions will you ask your data agent?
Data API builder (DAB) 1.7+ delivers secure MCP-based CRUD access with deterministic, policy-enforced query generation and an upcoming aggregate tool that enables complex, production-safe analytical questions without exposing raw SQL to AI agents.
The Polyglot Tax
Part 1 of 4 - The Multimodal Database Series This is a four-part series about what happens when a single database engine handles relational, document, graph, vector, and analytical workloads natively - and what you stop paying for when it does. You spin up a database, point an agent at it, and start building. The first few tables go fast - users, orders, maybe a product catalog. The agent writes your CRUD, wires up the API, and you have a working prototype by lunch. Then the requirements come in. The product team wants semantic search. The fraud team needs to trace connections between accounts. Marketing wan...
MSSQL Extension for VS Code: Query Profiler, ADS Migration Toolkit & More
The MSSQL Extension for VS Code continues to evolve, delivering features that make SQL development more integrated, more powerful, and more developer-friendly. In version v1.40.0, we're introducing the ADS Migration Toolkit, Basic Database Management, Flat File Import, Database Backup & Restore, Database Object Search, and Query Profiler — six capabilities that bring seamless Azure Data Studio migration, essential database operations, and real-time performance monitoring directly into your development workflow inside Visual Studio Code. What’s new in MSSQL extension for VS Code v1.40 https://www.youtube.com...
Light up Multiple Databases with a Single API with Data API builder’s multi-source configuration
Data API builder (DAB) supports multi-source configurations Data API builder (DAB) connects to your database with a safe REST or GraphQL endpoint. But DAB is not limited to just one database. Using a multi-source configuration, you can connect to more than one database simultaneously. Learn more about Data API builder: https://aka.ms/dab/docs Multi-source configuration A multi-source configuration is one of DAB's most powerful features. There is no special requirement other than a valid connection string. This lets multiple databases take advantage of a single instance of DAB with REST and GraphQL, but al...
Federating Databases with Data API Builder Chaining
For decades, DBAs relied on linked servers to stitch data together. If you needed data from two places, you wired them up and moved on. It worked. It was straightforward. It felt native to SQL. But what if linked servers are not an option? What if policy blocks them? What if one of the systems is not SQL or lives in another cloud? How do you cross engines, environments, and ownership boundaries without turning your architecture into a science project? In most modern enterprises, the limitation is not SQL. It is usually more hidden things like governance, separation of duties, or risk management policy. Applicat...
Dear Copilot, can you help me with SQL?
Perhaps we missed it at first, but Copilot is more than comfortable with SQL. This goes beyond autocomplete. This is moving from nothing to a working database without leaving our tools. Have we really arrived? Yes, sort of. For database engineers and app engineers alike, we have crossed an important line. Making us more productive is easy for Copilot. Modern developers already lean on these models. Making Copilot productive is the real unlock. From schema design to publishing in Azure, the question is not whether Copilot can help, but how we 10x Copilot. Walking through a common workflow, this article makes few ...