SQL + AI, hands-on: Join a free workshop near you

If you work with Microsoft SQL regularly, the AI conversation right now probably feels a little exhausting. Every week brings a new platform, a new pattern, a new opinion about how you’re “supposed” to build AI apps. Most of it assumes you’ll start over.

You don’t have to.

We’re running SQL AI App in a Day workshops with Microsoft partners around the world. They’re free, hands-on, and built for developers who want to add AI to the apps they already own, using the data they already trust. You can browse upcoming sessions and register.

Build on Microsoft SQL, not around it

The question that keeps coming up in customer calls and community channels is small and practical: how do I bring AI into what I’ve already built, without giving up the control, security, and trust I’ve spent years putting in place?

The workshop answers that question by keeping Microsoft SQL at the center. Your data stays where it lives. You write T-SQL. You use the same security model, the same tooling, the same deployment story. Then you extend it to handle the AI parts: semantic search, embeddings stored next to your relational data, and responses grounded in your own tables instead of the open internet.

The governance questions AI raises (accurate responses, protected data, controlled model access) are the same governance questions SQL developers have been solving for years. The vocabulary is just slightly updated. If you want a deeper read, the Intelligent applications with Azure SQL Database documentation is a good starting point.

What you’ll actually do

You’ll spend the day building, not just watching. Over a single session, you will:

1. Start from familiar Microsoft SQL patterns and extend them step by step
2. Build with embeddings, vector search, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
3. Connect Microsoft SQL to an AI model and ground the responses in your own data
4. Walk through the tradeoffs (latency, cost, accuracy, governance) the way you’d actually evaluate them on the job

By the end of the day, you’ll have built something real and a clearer mental model for where AI fits into a Microsoft SQL-based architecture.

Find a session

The workshops are run by Microsoft partners who do this with customers every week, so you’re spending the day with someone who has seen real implementations and real production constraints. We have a growing number of sessions on the calendar, with more being added across regions. Browse the SQL AI App in a Day events catalog to see what’s coming up near you.

Next Steps

• Learn more: Explore Intelligent applications with Azure SQL Database to see what’s available in the platform today, or watch the latest product videos on our YouTube channel.
• Sign up: Find a SQL AI App in a Day session near you.
• Get certified: The SQL AI Developer certification is now generally available.
• Submit ideas: If there’s a workshop scenario you’d like to see covered, share it with your local Microsoft partner or your Microsoft account team.
• Provide feedback: After attending, let us know what worked and what you’d want next. The series evolves based on what the community asks for.