Azure SQL Dev Corner
Voices from the Azure SQL PM Team, focusing on development and developers
Latest posts
SQL code analysis in VS Code: Configure rules without editing your project file
SQL code analysis has been part of the SSDT workflow for a long time. Before deploying a schema change, you could run a set of static analysis rules against your project to catch potential issues, things like missing primary keys, deprecated syntax, or objects that could break under certain compatibility levels. It was one of those SSDT features that teams quietly relied on without thinking much about it. When developers started moving their SQL Database Projects workflow to VS Code, code analysis came with them. But configuring which rules to enable or disable required editing the .sqlproj file directly, not a ...
Manage SQL database schemas in VS Code: Publish dialog and item templates
Making schema changes often means jumping between tools. You write code in VS Code, then switch to a separate tool to deploy your changes : exporting a script, running it manually, or copy-pasting into a query editor. Either way, it pulls you out of your flow. With the latest updates to SQL Database Projects in VS Code, that context switching is no longer necessary. You can now manage and deploy schema changes to Azure SQL, SQL Server, or Fabric SQL databases without leaving your editor. What's new: Publish dialog and item templates We've added two features to the SQL Database Projects extension for VS Code th...
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...