Storage Services: Azure SQL

Introduction

One of the most critical aspects of any software system is data storage. Data storage can be for fast short-term access, such as caches, for files and media, such as desks, or even structured data, such as relational databases. Microsoft Azure supports many relational and non-relational databases such as SQL databases, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and Cosmos DB. This lesson will focus on Azure SQL and understand its different types, features, and pricing models.

Types of Azure SQL

It is essential to understand that there are several types of Azure SQL services. What you’ll use will depend on your particular business scenario.

• Azure SQL database: This option is best for cloud applications using the latest SQL Server features. It supports most on-premise SQL Server capabilities with several built-in features, such as backups, patching, and recovery.
• Azure SQL-managed instance: This option supports almost all on-premise options. It also supports several Azure features, such as private IP addresses and virtual networks.
• SQL server on Azure VMs: This is the easier option to life-and-shift your existing SQL Server workload with 100% compatibility. You also have operating system access if you need OS-level customizations.

You can perceive the differences between the three types as a spectrum of similarity with the on-premise SQL server, where SQL server on Azure VM provides identical similarity on one end and Azure SQL database provides close enough similarity on the other end.