As of today, July 14, 2026, SQL Server 2016 has reached end of support.

For the past decade, SQL Server 2016 has helped organizations run mission-critical applications and support the data needs of their business. Whether it was end-to-end encryption with Always Encrypted or performance improvements with In-Memory OLTP, SQL Server 2016 was shaped by evolving data platform needs and what we heard directly from customers like you.

Last year, we shared guidance on how to prepare for this milestone: Protect and modernize SQL Server 2016 workloads with Microsoft. Now, after 10 years of powering innovation, the focus shifts to what comes next.

Beyond end of support: Setting up your data platform for what’s next

For organizations running SQL Server 2016, this transition is an opportunity to improve how your database environment operates. Moving to a modern platform can help reduce operational overhead, avoid recurring upgrade cycles, and simplify database management. It can also support new scenarios such as advanced analytics and AI-driven applications built on operational data.

Organizations are already taking action by moving to Azure SQL or upgrading their SQL Server. The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) upgraded to SQL Server 2025 to modernize its SQL Server deployment and streamline how operational data flows into Microsoft Fabric, enabling faster analytics and data-driven decision-making across its global operations.

SQL Server plays a key role in powering our systems, enabling us to operate at scale and deliver on our promise to customers everywhere.

—Javier Villegas, IT Director for Database Administration and Business Intelligence Services, MSC

Assessing your options for end-of-support workloads

For organizations that still run on SQL Server 2016, there are three paths that help you stay protected while planning the next phase of your data platform modernization:

1. Move to Azure SQL: Modernize your data platform using Azure SQL, helping you reduce operational overhead and remove the need for ongoing upgrades. (Best to avoid future upgrade cycles.)
2. Upgrade to SQL Server 2025: Move to the latest version of SQL Server with enhanced performance, security, and AI capabilities. (Best for keeping your databases on premises or in hybrid cloud.)
3. Deploy Extended Security Updates (ESU): Get critical security updates for SQL Server 2016 while you’re planning a transition. (Best for short-term protection while planning next steps.)

Each path offers a way to maintain security and compliance while planning long-term business and infrastructure goals. Here’s what each of these options would mean in practice:

Option 1: Move to Azure SQL

Moving to Azure SQL provides a managed approach to updating your SQL Server environment. Azure SQL platform-as-a-service (PaaS) services handle patching and backups, provide high availability, and come with built-in version updates, allowing your team to focus less on infrastructure management and more on delivering value.

For many SQL Server 2016 workloads, Azure SQL PaaS provides a path to reduce ongoing maintenance and automate resiliency, scalability, and security. With strong backward compatibility, applications can be migrated with minimal changes in most scenarios—and where updates are required, GitHub Copilot can help accelerate code changes and modernization efforts.

Azure supports multiple options depending on your migration and modernization goals:

1. Azure SQL Database: A managed database service designed for modern applications. Azure SQL Database Hyperscale enables independent scaling of compute and storage to handle growing data and workloads without changing your application. (Choose this if you don’t need instance-level features and want a simpler, app-focused model that can flexibly scale as your data grows.)
2. Azure SQL Managed Instance: A SQL Server-compatible service that supports your existing workloads with minimal changes, enabling easier migration and reducing the need to manage your infrastructure. (Choose this if you want the closest PaaS experience to SQL Server with minimal application changes.)
3. SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines: A flexible option for running SQL Server in Azure while retaining full control over your SQL environment and operating system, including custom configurations and dependencies. (Choose this if you use software, configurations, or third-party components that require a specific SQL Server version or instance-level control of your SQL Server.)

Frontier Accelerate for Databases

Reduce the cost of migration by combining Microsoft-funded delivery support, Azure credits, and investment programs.

Get started

Option 2: Upgrade to SQL Server 2025

Upgrading to SQL Server 2025 allows you to stay on a supported platform while bringing modern capabilities directly into your existing on-premises or hybrid environments.

SQL Server 2025 is built to support evolving application and data needs, helping teams modernize while preparing for AI-driven scenarios. It includes new and improved capabilities such as:

• Performance and engine improvements: Optimizations across query processing, indexing, and concurrency help improve performance and stability for high-volume transactional workloads.
• Security and data protection: Built on the existing SQL Server security model with continued investments in encryption, access control, and compliance support for regulated environments.
• Built-in AI: Comes with native support for vector search and semantic workflows, enabling AI-driven applications directly on operational data without requiring separate data pipelines.
• Integration with Microsoft Fabric: Enables mirroring of operational data into analytics environments for near real-time insights, without impacting core transactional workloads.

This path is especially relevant for organizations powering large-scale applications or complex data environments where control, performance, and consistency are essential. It allows you to modernize in place, retain your existing infrastructure, and prepare your platform for the next generation of applications without requiring the shift to a new operating model.

Option 3: Deploy Extended Security Updates (ESU)

Some migrations take time, and we understand that not every environment can move immediately. Extended Security Updates (ESU) provide a short-term option to maintain security coverage for SQL Server 2016 after end of support, helping reduce risk while you plan and execute your next step.

Extended Security Updates are available for workloads running in Azure, including SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines and Azure VMware Solution, and for on-premises and multi-cloud environments through Azure Arc. They are offered as a paid program to extend security coverage while modernization work is underway.

This option is best suited for environments with application dependencies, testing requirements, or migration complexity that require additional time. Extended Security Updates are designed as a temporary bridge that helps you maintain your existing operations while you move to a supported platform like Azure SQL or SQL Server 2025.

Take the next step

As you plan this transition, there are clear paths to stay secure and move forward based on your environment and priorities. Whether you choose to modernize on Azure, upgrade to SQL Server 2025, or use Extended Security Updates as a bridge, taking a structured approach will allow you to reduce risk and ensure continuity.

If you need help evaluating your options or getting started, reach out to your Microsoft representative to explore the right path forward for your environment.

Resources

Explore the following resources to help you plan your next steps:

Migrate SQL Server workloads to Azure

• Azure SQL Database: Explore a cloud-native database platform for modern applications.
• Azure SQL Managed Instance: Learn how to migrate SQL Server workloads with minimal changes.
• Azure Database Migration Service: Assess, plan, and migrate SQL Server workloads to Azure.

Upgrade SQL Server to a supported version

• SQL Server 2025: Explore features, performance improvements, and AI capabilities in the latest release.
• Upgrade SQL Server using SQL Server Management Studio: Step-by-step guidance for upgrading SQL Server versions.
• AI capabilities in SQL Server: Learn about vector search, semantic processing, and AI scenarios in SQL Server.

Extended Security Updates (ESU)

• Extended Security Updates overview: Understand ESU coverage, timelines, and how to apply updates.
• SQL Server 2016: Stay Protected While You Modernize: Maintain your existing workloads while you upgrade or modernize.

The post SQL Server 2016 end of support is here: Plan your next steps appeared first on Microsoft SQL Server Blog.

Continue reading to learn about how three organizations—Thomson Reuters, Hexure, and CallRevu—each jumpstarted their transformation with migration of their on-premises workloads to Microsoft Azure. As a result, organizations were able to improve operational efficiency and accelerate AI-powered innovation. Their stories reveal how fully managed platform-as-a-service solutions like Microsoft Azure SQL Managed Instance helps organizations move from legacy constraints to a scalable and secure AI-ready foundation ready to power future possibilities.

Modernization at scale: Thomson Reuters  

For Thomson Reuters, one of the world’s most trusted providers of tax and accounting solutions, modernization was less of an option and more of a necessity. Supporting over 7,000 firms and 70,000 users during the peak of tax season required an infrastructure that was both robust and scalable. The company previously hosted more than 18,000 databases and over 500 terabytes of data on third-party servers, an approach that came with high costs, operational complexity, and challenges scaling to meet seasonal demand.  

By migrating this massive estate into Azure SQL Managed Instance from another cloud hosting environment, Thomson Reuters achieved modernization at scale. With programs like Microsoft Azure Migrate to support every step of the migration journey, and automation tools like PowerShell and Azure Resource Manager templates, they were able to streamline deployments and maintain performance while minimizing disruptions. Azure’s fully managed platform allowed Thomson Reuters to streamline database administration and automated key tasks like backups and updates. As a result, their teams could focus on delivering value to customers rather than managing infrastructure. Azure Virtual Desktop together with Windows 11 facilitated access to tax preparation applications, reducing complexity and costs.  

The benefits were immediate and significant. Thomson Reuters gained: 

• Consistent performance during seasonal peaks.
• Improved resiliency.
• Reduced support overhead.
• Optimized costs across licensing and infrastructure.  

Thomson Reuters now has a foundation for continued growth and the flexibility to scale its services as demand requires.

Operational efficiency and performance: Hexure  

While Thomson Reuters’ story highlights scale, Hexure’s migration shows the operational efficiency gains that come from moving to a fully managed platform with Azure SQL Managed Instance and Microsoft Azure App Service. Hexure provides digital solutions for insurance and financial services companies—managing sensitive customer information across many databases and applications.  

The company faced challenges with aging infrastructure that slowed down critical processes and demanded heavy manual intervention. Provisioning new customer instances, managing backups, and handling failovers was time-intensive. Processing delays made it harder to serve clients with the speed and reliability customers expect.  

Migrating to Azure SQL Managed Instance changed that equation. Hexure cut processing times by up to 97%, transforming overnight batch jobs into near-instant operations. Migration times were reduced by more than 80% thanks to built-in compatibility and automation. With Microsoft Azure Key Vault, Hexure could better manage cybersecurity and protection of their data. Features like point-in-time restore, automated backups, and geo-replication not only boosted resilience but also ensured compliance with industry regulations.  

Equally important, the move allowed Hexure to:  

• Onboard new customers in minutes versus hours.
• Deliver faster shipping cycles for features and platform improvements.
• Reduce management of infrastructure—including servers.

With migration, Hexure could now focus on innovation and customer service. For an industry where trust and responsiveness are critical, this operational leap forward directly translates into stronger client relationships.

Innovation with AI and insights: CallRevu  

CallRevu’s story illustrates the next frontier: innovation. CallRevu helps automotive dealerships improve lead conversion, follow-up, and customer experience by analyzing phone calls across more than 5,000 locations. Handling this volume of conversational data requires not only advanced analytics, but scalable platform. 

With a fully managed solution built on Azure SQL Managed Instance, Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service together with Microsoft Azure AI services, CallRevu created a platform that goes beyond storing and managing data. It ensures reliable, scalable performance for call data and transcriptions, while services like Microsoft Azure OpenAI for real-time summaries and insights. This integration allows CallRevu to surface actionable insights in real time—helping dealerships connect marketing to results, improve agent performance, and ultimately drive more sales. 

The company also benefits from the operational simplicity that Azure SQL Managed Instance delivers. By migrating from their on-premises SQL Server environment, they were able to benefit from automated backups, scaling, and monitoring to reduce administrative overhead, while built-in security helps protect sensitive customer interactions. Data is mirrored in Microsoft Fabric allowing Power BI dashboards to generate real-time insights. With a strong and agile data foundation in place, CallRevu can focus on innovating faster—bringing AI-powered capabilities to an industry where customer engagement is a critical differentiator while also:  

• Increasing customer satisfaction by 10%.
• Saving USD500,000 annually in labor costs.
• Increasing lead conversion by 15%.

Take the next step in your transformation journey  

Modernization is not a one-time project—it’s a journey that is different for every organization. For some organizations, the first step is simply migrating off legacy servers. For others, it’s about rethinking how operations can run more efficiently. And for many, it’s about leveraging cloud and AI to create entirely new opportunities.  

The experiences of Thomson Reuters, Hexure, and CallRevu highlight how migration to a platform-as-a-service anchored on database solutions like Azure SQL Managed Instance supports every stage of that journey. By providing a managed, secure, and scalable cloud platform, backed by the tools and programs, organizations can migrate with confidence, operate more efficiently, and innovate faster.

Ready to get started? Here are some free tools you can start trying today: 

• Try Azure SQL Managed Instance free today. 
• Learn how Azure Migrate can help you get started.

Join Microsoft at PASS Data Community Summit 2025 to continue your learning journey and how Azure is making it easier than ever to start your transformation journey. Learn more on our sponsorship and presence.

The post Innovation spotlight: How 3 customers are driving change with migration to Azure SQL appeared first on Microsoft SQL Server Blog.

End-to-end migration simplified

If you’ve been using SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc, you’re likely familiar with continuous migration assessments that offer target recommendations, technical readiness, and cost estimates. Now, we’re taking the next step forward by introducing automated, end-to-end migration capabilities in SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc.

Once you’ve assessed the Azure readiness of your SQL Server instances, you can now select or provision your Azure targets such as Azure SQL Managed Instance, without jumping between various tools or places in the Azure portal. This streamlined workflow eliminates context switching and simplifies provisioning. You’ll see estimated costs during the provisioning process, giving you clear visibility and confidence to plan ahead. Plus, you can take advantage of the free Azure SQL Managed Instance offer to evaluate at no cost, making it easier to get started. 

Real-time database replication is also integrated into the new migration capability. This new method, built on top of distributed availability groups, enables near real-time database replication from SQL Server to Azure SQL Managed Instance. Setting up real-time replication manually can be a complex multi-step process, but Azure Arc simplifies the entire process while providing best-in-class monitoring. If a customer decides to go back to on-premises, Azure SQL Managed Instance Link also supports seamless failback (if the source SQL Server instance is SQL Server 2022 and above). 

Migrate with confidence 

The new capability empowers customers to migrate with confidence. Before officially cutting over, you can validate that the target Azure SQL Managed Instance meets your business requirements by using the target instance as a read-only replica.  

In addition, the client connection summary feature in SQL Server, enabled by Azure Arc, automatically and continuously captures and displays which clients are connecting to each instance. This replaces the previous manual and time-consuming process of tracing applications to their databases, giving customers clear visibility and helping ensure a smooth transition to Azure.

Get started today 

If you’re looking to simplify and accelerate your migration to Azure, this new connected capability can help you get there faster—with less downtime, lower overhead, and more confidence. 

• Learn more on our Tech Community blog.
• Learn more about the new migration capability in Azure Arc on Microsoft Learn.
• Onboard your SQL Server to Azure Arc today.
• Learn more about continuous migration assessment from SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc.

Frequently asked questions 

1. What is SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc?  

SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc extends Azure services to SQL Server instances hosted outside of Azure: in your data center, in edge site locations like retail stores, or any public cloud or hosting provider. 

Azure Arc enables you to consistently manage SQL Server instances across hybrid and multicloud environments, bringing cloud innovations such as automated updates, unified policy, best practices assessment, and advanced security to SQL Server running anywhere.

2. What’s the continuous migration assessment from Azure Arc?  

Microsoft has announced the general availability of continuous migration assessments for SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc, marking a step forward in simplifying cloud migration planning. This release introduces a redesigned assessment experience that provides deeper insights and more intuitive navigation, especially for single Arc-enabled instances. 

One of the standout features is the integration of retail pricing visibility across all Azure savings options, including Azure Hybrid Benefit (AHB), reserved instances, and Azure savings plans. These pricing insights are now available for Azure SQL Database, SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines (VMs), helping users make informed cost decisions.  

3. What is Azure Database Migration Service? 

Azure Database Migration Service is a fully managed service designed to seamlessly migrate databases to Azure with minimal downtime. It supports both homogeneous migrations (such as SQL Server to Azure SQL) and heterogeneous migrations (such as Oracle to Azure PostgreSQL).

4. What are the migration methods in the new migration capability? 

The following methods are built into the migration process. Azure SQL Managed Instance link enables near real-time database replication using distributed availability groups. Log Replay Service uses SQL Server log-shipping technology and requires a brief planned cutover. Review the Microsoft Learn page to understand the differences between these two migration methods and choose the option that best suits your needs.

The post Accelerate SQL Server Migration to Azure with Azure Arc  appeared first on Microsoft SQL Server Blog.

We are allowing the cloud provider to handle hardware resource allocation and maintenance so that our staff focus on program development. This strategy ensures that during system operation we no longer need to worry about hardware failures, power instability or information security issues, greatly improving the system’s operational reliability.

—Ching-Lung Chang, CIO, Library and Information Services Office at YunTech .

Modernize to Azure, a smooth path, a more powerful destination  

Migrating to a cloud platform is an essential step on the journey to modernization, and there are many choices. What makes SQL Server and Microsoft Azure SQL unique is that it’s built on the same engine, no matter where you deploy, which means you can build on your existing SQL experience while gaining the layered security, intelligent threat detection, and data encryption that Azure provides.  

Modernizing to Microsoft Azure SQL Managed Instance offers cost savings, scalability, security, seamless migration, productivity, and always up-to-date features. Now in preview, Azure SQL Managed Instance next generation general purpose delivers improved performance and scalability, making migration and modernization faster and easier across more customer scenarios.  

Azure is the destination, but we know the journey matters just as much. A new SQL Server migration experience is now under preview in Azure Arc. It is powered by Azure Database Migration Service and offers seamless, end-to-end migration capabilities including continuous migration assessments, simplified provisioning, and real-time database replication, assisted by Copilot in Azure. What once took months can now be accomplished in just days, with confidence, continuity, and control.

In-place upgrade to SQL Server 2025  

Another way to stay protected is to upgrade your SQL Server to  SQL Server 2025. Built on SQL Server’s legacy of best-in-class security, performance and availability, SQL Server 2025 empowers you to develop modern AI applications using your data. It provides built-in, extensible AI capabilities, enhanced developer productivity, and seamless integration with Azure and Fabric, all within SQL Server engine using the familiar T-SQL language. 

The upgrade experience has been streamlined. With the retirement of Azure Data Studio and Data Migration Assistant, migration capabilities are now integrated directly into SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). This eliminates the need for separate tools, reducing complexity and effort. In SSMS 21, a new migration extension allows DBAs and partners to assess and upgrade SQL Server instances from older to newer versions, all within the same management environment. 

Stay protected on-premises or in multi-cloud environments with Azure Arc  

Extended Security Updates for SQL Server 2016 offers an enhanced cloud experience through Azure Arc. With this customer-centric approach, security updates will be natively available in the Azure portal through Azure Arc. Enabling your SQL Server with Azure Arc also unlocks Azure benefits and flexible subscription billing for SQL Server 2016 workloads on-premises or across multi-cloud environments.  

If you enable Extended Security Updates subscription in your production environment through Azure Arc, you have access to SQL Server Extended Security Updates subscription in the non-production environment for free, through SQL Server Developer edition or an Azure Dev/Test subscription.  

We encourage all our customers running SQL Server 2016 to start planning for the end of support. We have migration resources, best practices, and more, as well as a rich ecosystem of partners ready to help. To get started, please visit the following pages to learn more: 

• Why migrate Windows Server and SQL Server to Azure: ROI, innovation, and free offers.
• Get the full return on investment (ROI) and total cost ownership (TCO) reports from IDC: The Business Value of Microsoft Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance Workload and The Business Value of Microsoft Azure for SQL Server and Windows Server Workloads.
• Onboard your SQL Server to Azure Arc.

Frequently asked questions 

What does end of support mean? 

Microsoft Lifecycle Policy offers 10 years of support (five years for mainstream support and five years for extended support) for business and developer products (such as SQL Server and Windows Server). After the end of the extended support period, there are no patches or security updates, which might cause security and compliance issues, and expose your applications and business to serious security risks. 

What do Extended Security Updates include? 

Extended Security Updates include provision of security updates and bulletins rated critical by the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC), for a maximum of three years after the end of extended support.  

Extended Security Updates are distributed if and when available. Extended Security Updates don’t include technical support. Customers must purchase a paid support plan (Pay Per Incident, Unified, and Premier Support for Partners) to leverage technical support. Extended Security Updates don’t include new features, functional improvements, nor customer-requested fixes. However, Microsoft might include non-security fixes as deemed necessary. 

Why do Extended Security Updates only offer “critical” updates? 

For end of support events in the past, SQL Server provided only critical security updates, which meets the compliance criteria of our enterprise customers. SQL Server doesn’t ship a general monthly security update.

The post Protect and modernize SQL Server 2016 workloads with Microsoft  appeared first on Microsoft SQL Server Blog.

At Microsoft Build 2025, we announced the public preview of SQL Server 2025. Built on a foundation of best-in-class security, performance, and availability, SQL Server 2025 empowers customers to accelerate AI using their own data. The momentum doesn’t stop there. This release also brings major updates to the tools and services that power enterprise-grade reporting, analysis and integration services. In this blog, we’ll walk you through what’s new across these services so you can plan your upgrade holistically and unlock the full potential of SQL Server 2025.

SQL Server 2025 Reporting Services

For over two decades, SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) has been the go-to on-premises solution for creating and managing paginated reports using Report Definition Language (RDL). With SQL Server 2025, we’re taking a step forward.

Power BI Report Server will now be the default reporting solution for SQL Server 2025. This modern platform supports both paginated and interactive reports, enabling users to build reusable data models and deliver rich, customized reporting experiences. It also offers built-in compatibility with Power BI, providing a seamless path to the cloud.

As part of this transition, we will not be releasing a new version of SSRS for SQL Server 2025. However, if you prefer to continue using SSRS, support will remain in place for both SQL Server 2025 and all in-market versions of SQL Server.

If you’re testing SQL Server 2025 preview, we recommend including the move to Power BI Report Server in your upgrade plan. Download the free trial of Power BI Report Server and explore the latest features to see if it meets your reporting needs. When SQL Server 2025 becomes generally available, any customer with a paid SQL Server license will have access to Power BI Report Server, which was previously limited to Enterprise edition customers with Software Assurance.

For customers currently using Enterprise edition of SQL Server 2022 or earlier with Software Assurance, migrating from SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) to Power BI Report Server (PBIRS) is a straightforward process. Most RDL report assets created in SSRS are fully compatible with PBIRS, making the transition less effort for the majority of users.

For more questions, review the FAQ.

SQL Server 2025 Analysis Services

SQL Server 2025 Analysis Services (SSAS) introduces several key enhancements aimed at improving performance, scalability, and modeling flexibility.

We have made significant performance improvements for Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) queries on models with Calculation Groups and Format Strings to reduce memory usage and improve responsiveness. The latest changes will greatly improve the performance and reliability of operations in Analyze in Excel on models that include Dynamic Format Strings for Measures and Calculated Items with Format Strings. For more details, refer to the Dynamic format strings documentation.

Improved parallelism in DirectQuery mode enables faster response times for complex queries. The fundamental idea is to maximize query performance by parallelizing multiple queries to the datasource for a single Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) query. This query parallelization reduces the impact of data source delays and network latencies on query performance.

For more details, refer to the Query parallelization helps to boost the Power BI dataset performance in DirectQuery mode blog post.

SSAS 2025 incorporates the latest version of Horizontal Fusion, a query performance optimization that reduces the number of SQL queries generated by DAX, improving DirectQuery efficiency. For more details, refer to the Announcing “Horizontal Fusion,” a query performance optimization in Power BI and Analysis Services blog post.

Find more about what’s new in SQL Server 2025 Analysis Services.

SQL Server 2025 Integration Services

One of the notable updates in SQL Server 2025 Integration Services (SSIS) is the improved support for ADO.NET connectivity. Historically, the ADO.NET connection manager had limitations such as the lack of ability to connect using Entra ID authentication. This posed challenges for organizations adopting modern identity solutions and cloud-first strategies.

Now, with the introduction of the Microsoft SqlClient Data Provider in ADO.NET connection manager, SSIS addresses this gap. This new capability brings the support for Entra ID authentication, enabling more secure and flexible connection scenarios.

Find more about what’s new in SQL Server 2025 Integration Services.

Explore more resources

• Check out the SQL Server docs to learn more about SQL Server 2025.
• Visit the Power BI Report Server docs to learn about PBRIS.
• Learn more about migrating to Power BI Report Server from SSRS.
• Get your questions answered with Reporting Services consolidation FAQ.

The post Enhancing reporting and analytics with SQL Server 2025 tools and services appeared first on Microsoft SQL Server Blog.

A thriving community at the heart of SQL Server 2025

As we look back at the creation of SQL Server 2025, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to the community leaders, MVPs, partners, and Microsoft engineers who have shared their insights, expertise, and enthusiasm about this exciting release. Their passion for SQL Server and commitment to knowledge-sharing continue to inspire us.

In the resources below we showcase the expertise of our community as well as Microsoft, with blogs and videos that will help you make the most of everything SQL Server 2025 has to offer. These resources dive into key innovations that set SQL Server 2025 apart, including best-in-class security, built-in AI, developer enhancements, and Fabric mirroring.

Insights from Microsoft engineering, MVPs, and partners

SQL Server 2025 overview

We’ll get started with resources that provide an overview of key SQL Server innovations and then dive into each of the core pillars of best-in-class performance and security, AI-built in, made for developer, and cloud agility through Azure.

• At Microsoft Build, Microsoft’s Bob Ward and Muazma Zahid covered everything database developers need to know in their session SQL Server 2025: The Database Developer Reimagined, and Raj Pochiraju launched his deep dive blog into all things SQL Server 2025.
• Bob Ward was interviewed by theCube at Dell Technologies World, where he and Rob Sonders from Dell discussed how data fuels AI and the key AI features in SQL Server 2025.
• Joey D’Antoni from Redmond Magazine interviewed Shireesh Thota and shared his thoughts on the most exciting features in Microsoft Build: SQL Server 2025 Is (Almost) Here and Why Microsoft Is Still Betting Big on SQL Server in a Cloud-First World, both on Redmondmag.com.
• Microsoft’s Anna Hoffman and Bob Ward have launched a new series on Data Exposed that will cover all the highlights.
• Looking for a quick overview? The Microsoft Mechanics video, What’s New in SQL Server 2025 breaks it all down in just 15 minutes.

Best-in-class security and performance

SQL Server remains as the most secure database in the last decade, with best-in-class performance and availability. This latest release harnesses the latest innovation from Microsoft Entra and brings over 50 enhancements to the database engine.

• Explore how to save time and reduce risk with Microsoft SQL Engineering PM Dimitri Furman’s blog on tempdb space resource governance.
• Dimitri also shared how SQL Server 2025 has optimized Halloween protection by redesigning the way the database engine solves the Halloween problem and improves query performance.
• HPE spotlighted SQL Server 2025 in a recent blog, underscoring its exceptional performance and availability—further validating the platform’s enterprise-grade capabilities.
• Learn how to streamline T-SQL Snapshot backups using T-SQL REST API and  Pure Storage in the blog by MVP and partner, Anthony Nocentino: Streamlining T-SQL Snapshot Backups.

SQL Server 2025 is an important release, delivering significant improvements in performance, reliability, security, and the developer experience for our trading platform.

—Ola Hallengren, Chief Data Platforms Engineer at Saxo Bank and a Data Platform MVP

AI built-in   

Learn how to accelerate AI apps closer to your own data using extensible tools with built-in vector capabilities.

• Dive into the SQL Server 2025 AI enhancements in Microsoft’s Davide Mauri’s blog on SQL Server 2025 AI Capabilities.
• For those who are in a hurry, check out this great SQL in 5: New AI features in SQL Server 2025 from Brian Spendolini, Microsoft SQL Engineering PM.
• Dhananjay Mahajan, Microsoft SQL Engineering PM, hosted a webinar with Pure Storage to help you get ready for SQL Server 2025: Accelerating AI, Performance, and Resilience—From Query to Infrastructure.
• Follow MVPs Anthony Nocentino and Ben Weissman in their video series “Anthony and Ben talk about SQL Server 2025”, starting with Vector Search and Ollama.
• Get started with vectors with MVP, Deb Melkin’s Getting Started with Vector Searches in SQL Server 2025.

“We are excited about the AI features in SQL Server 2025, especially the potential for text processing that can benefit companies of all sizes. AI brings new ways to process and extract insights from data, and with SQL Server being the core repository for many businesses, native AI features like embeddings, REST API support, and vector indexes are game changers.”

—Rodrigo Ribeiro Gomes, Head of Innovation, Power Tuning

Made for developers

SQL Server 2025 is the most significant release for SQL developers in the last decade. With features including native JSON support, built-in REST APIs and RegEx enablement, change event streaming plus a new Standard Developer edition and new SSMS release, SQL Server 2025 helps streamline application development and greatly reduce code complexity.

• SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 21 is now generally available. Read about the new SSMS release in the Microsoft Community Hub.
• Copilot is available in SSMS, learn how Copilot in SSMS preview can help make you more efficient – answering your questions and helping you write, edit, and fix T-SQL.
• JSON Enhancements are covered by MVP Daniel Hutmacher who shares hands-on insights in JSON indexes in SQL Server: First impressions, while Microsoft SQL Engineering PM Umachandar Jayachandran explores JSON data types and aggregates in his blog.
• SQL Server 2025 introduces native support for regex functions, making it easier to perform complex text operations directly within SQL queries. Read Microsoft SQL Engineering PM Abhiman Tiwari’s blog to Unlock the Power of Regex in SQL Server.

Our initial tests have shown great results with fuzzy string matching and regex, significantly reducing the need for external coding to clean data. This improvement in development time and data quality stability is a huge benefit for our end-users. Additionally, we are exploring vector indexes, which have the potential to be a game-changer for our data management.

—Paw Jershauge, Senior DBA and SQL Specialist, Orifarm Group A/S

Cloud agility through Azure

Powered by Azure, SQL Server 2025 enables real-time analytics with Fabric database mirroring and brings seamless cloud agility to any environment through Azure Arc.

• Explore how Mirroring in Microsoft Fabric enables you to drive enhanced analytics and insights for your on-premise data in Microsoft SQL Engineering PM Ajay Jagannathan’s blog on Mirroring in SQL Server.
• And for our Spanish speakers, Javier Villegas, Microsoft MVP, has created a wealth of in-depth content including his video on Mirroring in Microsoft Fabric – SQL Server.

Change Event Streaming and Fabric Mirroring for SQL Server 2025 help MSC to build the bridge to bring our operational data into Microsoft Fabric.

—Javier Villegas, IT Director—DBA and BI Services, MSC Technology (North America)

Keep learning about SQL Server 2025

• Bookmark the SQL Server 2025 Learn page.
• Follow the SQL Server 2025 Blogging Series.
• Get SQL Server 2025 and start using it today.

SQL Server 2025

An AI-ready enterprise database with best-in-class security, performance and availability.

Discover more

The post From code to community: The collective effort behind SQL Server 2025 appeared first on Microsoft SQL Server Blog.

The Microsoft Connector for Oracle enables data export from and import into Oracle databases within an SSIS package. This feature, available in Enterprise editions of SQL Server 2019 and 2022, will remain functional for the lifecycle of the SQL Server product. However, support for this feature will officially end on July 4, 2025. With the deprecation, future product releases will provide no further bug fixes. Additionally, it will not be supported from SQL Server 2025 and onwards.

Today, customers are leveraging the Microsoft Connector for Oracle in a variety of scenarios, including integrating Oracle data with other sources and supporting ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes to gain valuable insights. We recommend that customers use the SSIS ADO.NET Source and ADO.NET Destination components as the primary alternative solution to the Microsoft Connector for Oracle.

These SSIS ADO.NET components offer similar ETL capabilities for connecting Oracle databases with a .NET provider, specifically the OracleClient Data Provider, to connect, transfer, and transform your data efficiently. For further detailed instructions, please refer to the step-by-step guide.

If you need any assistance, please contact Microsoft Support.

Microsoft SQL Server

Get the flexibility you need to use integrated solutions and apps with your data—in the cloud, on-premises, or at the edge.

Try today

Exploring best-in-class connectivity to Oracle with Microsoft Fabric 

The announcement of the deprecation of the SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) Microsoft Connector for Oracle also presents an opportunity to explore new solutions for modern data integration with Oracle.

Microsoft Fabric is an end-to-end analytics and data platform designed for enterprises that require a unified solution. It encompasses data movement, processing, ingestion, transformation, real-time event routing, and report building. It offers a comprehensive suite of services including Data Engineering, Data Factory, Data Science, Real-Time Analytics, Data Warehouse, and Databases. 

Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric offers a modern data integration experience with Oracle databases, allowing reading from Oracle databases on-premises or behind a virtual network, and writing to any data destination.

Mirroring in Microsoft Fabric allows users to enjoy a highly integrated, end-to-end, and easy-to-use product that is designed to simplify your analytics needs. You can continuously replicate your existing data estate directly into Fabric’s OneLake, which can be used for all your analytical needs. This feature allows businesses to continuously integrate their existing data estate without complex ETL. 

Let’s explore the details of each of the approaches below. 

Oracle connectivity with Data Factory

Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric provides a modern data integration experience to ingest, prepare, and transform data from a rich set of data sources. It incorporates the simplicity of Power Query, and you can use more than 200 native connectors to connect to data sources on-premises and in the cloud.

One of the powerful features of Data Factory is its ability to configure and manage Oracle database connections in a copy activity. This functionality allows organizations to seamlessly integrate their Oracle databases into their data pipelines, ensuring efficient data movement and transformation. Configure Oracle database in a copy activity provides comprehensive instructions on how to perform this configuration. 

You can leverage the on-premises data gateway to securely connect to your on-premises Oracle database. This gateway acts as a bridge, enabling seamless data movement between on-premises data sources and cloud services. For detailed instructions, please refer to move data from Oracle to Fabric Lakehouse via pipeline and on-premises data gateway.

Replicating Oracle data into Fabric’s OneLake with Mirroring 

Mirroring in Microsoft Fabric offers a modern approach to seamlessly accessing and ingesting data from any database or data warehouse into OneLake in Microsoft Fabric. This feature allows businesses to continuously integrate their existing data estate without complex ETL processes. 

Open Mirroring in Fabric is extensible, customizable, and built on the open Delta Lake table format. It enables applications and data ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) to write change data directly into a mirrored database in Fabric using public APIs (Application Programming Interface). Once the data lands in OneLake, Open Mirroring handles complex data changes, ensuring all mirrored data remains continuously up-to-date and ready for analysis. 

We are thrilled to see Oracle Golden Gate streamline the delivery of mirroring solutions in Microsoft Fabric by integrating their data solution into Open Mirroring. As a key partner in our Open Mirroring ecosystem, Oracle Golden Gate offers a powerful and seamless approach to data replication, enabling continuous and efficient integration of data into Microsoft Fabric’s OneLake. This partnership highlights our commitment to providing modern, extensible solutions that simplify data integration and drive value for our customers. 

Simplifying Oracle to SQL Server Migration: Leveraging Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA)

Additionally, if you are looking to migrate Oracle Database to SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) is a tool designed to automate database migration. SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) for Oracle is a comprehensive environment that helps you quickly migrate Oracle databases to SQL Server, Azure SQL Database. The Oracle to SQL Server migration guide provides detailed instructions on how to migrate your Oracle database to SQL Server using SSMA for Oracle. This comprehensive guide ensures a smooth transition, minimizing disruptions and maximizing efficiency.

Looking forward

The deprecation of the SSIS Microsoft Connector for Oracle offers an opportunity to explore and implement more advanced and robust data integration solutions. By considering the ADO.NET components, Microsoft Fabric, or Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant for Oracle, organizations can ensure continued efficiency and reliability in their data integration processes. Each of these alternatives brings unique benefits, allowing businesses to choose the one that best aligns with their operational requirements and strategic goals. 

As the landscape of data integration evolves, staying informed about the latest tools and technologies will be crucial for maintaining a competitive edge and achieving seamless data connectivity. By proactively addressing the deprecation and selecting the appropriate alternative, organizations can continue to leverage their data assets effectively and drive business success. 

Resources 

Learn more about Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric and Oracle to SQL Server migration

• Load data from or into Oracle database—SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) | Microsoft Learn 

• What is Microsoft Fabric—Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

• Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric documentation—Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn 

• Configure Oracle database in a copy activity—Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn 

• Move data from Oracle to Fabric Lakehouse via pipeline and on-premises data gateway—Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn 

• Mirroring—Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

• Introducing Open Mirroring in Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Fabric Blog | Microsoft Fabric 

• Open Mirroring (Preview) Partner Ecosystem—Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

• Oracle to SQL Server: Migration guide—SQL Server | Microsoft Learn

• Migrating Oracle Databases to SQL Server (OracleToSQL)—SQL Server | Microsoft Learn

The post SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) Microsoft Connector for Oracle deprecation  appeared first on Microsoft SQL Server Blog.

“With our migration to PaaS, we got what we wanted: greater scalability, reliability, security, agility in managing our IT infrastructure—and greater peace of mind—all without the cost and hassle of doing this ourselves,” 

Daniel Engberg, Head of AI, Data, and Platforms at Scandinavian Airlines System  

Migrate to Microsoft Azure

Boost productivity and enable innovation.

Read more

This blog post will guide you through several best practices our customers employed when faced with the SQL Server end-of-support moment. Customers have three choices for handling their out-of-support SQL Server workloads: moving or updating to Azure, upgrading to SQL Server 2022, or getting Extended Security Updates (ESUs) for additional preparation time. 

Migrate and modernize to Azure, a smooth path, a more powerful destination 

Migrating to a cloud platform is an essential step on the journey to modernization, and there are many choices. What makes SQL Server and Microsoft Azure SQL unique is that it’s built on the same engine, no matter where you deploy, which means you can build on your existing SQL experience while gaining the layered security, intelligent threat detection, and data encryption that Azure provides. 

Modernizing to Microsoft Azure SQL Managed Instance offers cost savings, scalability, security, seamless migration, productivity, and always up-to-date features. Some of the recent product highlights include Azure SQL Managed Instance Next-gen General Purpose now in public preview, which supports twice as many Azure VMs configurations, making migration and modernization faster and easier than ever before for a larger number of customer scenarios. Customers can experience the full capabilities of managed SQL Server in the cloud at no cost for the initial 12 months with access to a General Purpose instance capable of accommodating up to 100 databases, along with 720 vCore hours of compute per month (non-accumulative) and 64 GB of storage through Azure SQL Managed Instance Free Tier, now in public preview. 

Modernizing your SQL Server workloads to Azure also presents a chance to utilize cutting-edge innovation like Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft Copilot in Azure has extended its capabilities to Microsoft Azure SQL Database with new skills designed to enhance the management and operation of SQL-based applications.  

Extending end-of-support time

If you are ready to move to the cloud but feel challenged to upgrade or modernize before the end of the support timeline, Extended Security Updates are available for free in Azure for SQL Server 2014 and 2012 and Windows Server 2012. Secure your workloads for up to three more years after the end of the support deadline by migrating applications and SQL Server databases to Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines. Free Extended Security Updates are available for Azure Virtual Machines including Microsoft Azure Dedicated Host, Microsoft Azure VMWare Solution, Nutanix Cloud Clusters on Azure, and Microsoft Azure Stack (Microsoft Azure Stack Hub, Microsoft Azure Stack Edge, and Microsoft Azure Stack HCI). Combining Extended Security Updates in Azure with Azure Hybrid Benefit further reduces your costs. With these pricing advantages, AWS is up to five times more expensive than Azure for SQL Server and Windows Server end-of-support workloads. 

In-place upgrade to SQL Server 2022 

Another way to stay protected is to upgrade your SQL Server to SQL Server 2022, the most Azure-enabled release yet. Get more out of your data with enhanced security, industry-leading performance and availability, and business continuity through Azure. 

SQL Server 2022 is the most Azure-enabled release of SQL Server, with continued innovation across performance, security, and availability. Gain deeper insights, predictions, and governance from your data at scale. Take advantage of enhanced performance and scalability with built-in query intelligence. 

Stay protected on-premises or in multi-cloud environments with Azure Arc 

Just as with SQL Server 2012, Extended Security Updates for SQL Server 2014 offers an enhanced cloud experience through Microsoft Azure Arc. First year coverage from Extended Security Updates started on July 10, 2024. With this more customer-centric approach, security updates will be natively available in the Microsoft Azure portal through Azure Arc. This also provides Azure benefits and flexible subscription billing for SQL Server 2014 workloads on-premises or in multi-cloud environments. 

We’re continuing to enhance the capabilities Azure Arc offers to Extended Security Updates. Just recently, physical-core licensing with unlimited virtualization was released for SQL Server 2012 and 2014 ESUs. For customers who need to maximize database performance or require security isolation and better resource management, physical core licensing provides a more cost-effective way to leverage Extended Security Updates via Azure Arc. 

Also, if you enabled ESU subscription in your production environment managed through Azure Arc, you can enable SQL Server ESU subscription in the non-production environment for free, through SQL Server Developer Edition or an Azure dev/test subscription. 

We encourage all our customers running SQL Server 2014, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2 to start planning for the end of support. We have migration resources, best practices, and more, as well as a rich ecosystem of partners ready to help. To get started, please visit the following pages to learn more. 

Learn More 

• Why migrate Windows Server and SQL Server to Azure: ROI, innovation, and free offers 
• Get the full ROI and TCO reports from IDC: The Business Value of Microsoft Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance Workload and The Business Value of Microsoft Azure for SQL Server and Windows Server Workloads 
• Previous announcement on SQL Server 2014 End-of-Support moment: Protect SQL Server 2014 workloads with Azure flexibility – Microsoft SQL Server Blog

The post Modernize Microsoft SQL Server 2014 workloads with Azure appeared first on Microsoft SQL Server Blog.

During recent years, Azure has undergone significant evolution, marked by groundbreaking innovations like Microsoft Fabric and Azure Data Lake Storage. As we continue this journey, it remains imperative to keep evolving our approach on hybrid data storage, ensuring optimal empowerment for our SQL Server customers in leveraging the best from Azure.

Retirement of SQL Server Stretch Database 

On November 16, 2022, the SQL Server Stretch Database feature was deprecated from SQL Server 2022. For in-market versions of SQL Server 2019 and 2017, we had added an improvement that allowed the Stretch Database feature to stretch a table to an Azure SQL Database. Effective July 9, 2024, the supporting Azure service, known as SQL Server Stretch Database edition, is retired. Impacted versions of SQL Server include SQL Server 2022, 2019, 2017, and 2016.  

In July 2024, SQL Server Stretch Database will be discontinued for SQL Server 2022, 2019, 2017, and 2016. We understand that retiring an Azure service may impact your current workload and use of Stretch Database. Therefore, we kindly request that you either migrate to Azure or bring their data back from Azure to your on-premises version of SQL Server. Additionally, if you’re exploring alternatives for archiving data to cold and warm storage in the cloud, we’ve introduced significant new capabilities in SQL Server 2022, leveraging its data virtualization suite. 

The path forward 

SQL Server 2022 supports a concept named CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE AS SELECT (CETaS). It can help customers archive and store cold data to Azure Storage. The data will be stored in an open source file format named Parquet. It operates well with complex data in large volumes. With its performant data compression, it turns out to be one of the most cost-effective data storage solutions. Using OneLake shortcuts, customers then can leverage Microsoft Fabric to realize cloud-scale analytics on archived data.  

Our priority is to empower our SQL Server customers with the tools and services that leverage the latest and greatest from Azure. If you need assistance in exploring how Microsoft can best empower your hybrid data archiving needs, please contact us.

New solution FAQs

What’s CETaS? 

Creates an external table and then exports, in parallel, the results of a Transact-SQL SELECT statement. 

• Azure Synapse Analytics and Analytics Platform System support Hadoop or Azure Blob Storage.
• SQL Server 2022 (16.x) and later versions support CETaS to create an external table and then export, in parallel, the result of a Transact-SQL SELECT statement to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Azure Storage Account v2, and S3-compatible object storage. 

What is Fabric? 

Fabric is an end-to-end analytics and data platform designed for enterprises that require a unified solution. It encompasses data movement, processing, ingestion, transformation, real-time event routing, and report building. Fabric offers a comprehensive suite of services including Data engineering, Data Factory, Data Science, Real-Time Analytics, Data Warehouse, and Databases. 

With Fabric, you don’t need to assemble different services from multiple vendors. Instead, it offers a seamlessly integrated, user-friendly platform that simplifies your analytics requirements. Operating on a software as a service (SaaS) model, Fabric brings simplicity and integration to your solutions. 

Fabric integrates separate components into a cohesive stack. Instead of relying on different databases or data warehouses, you can centralize data storage with Microsoft OneLake. AI capabilities are seamlessly embedded within Fabric, eliminating the need for manual integration. With Fabric, you can easily transition your raw data into actionable insights for business users. 

What is OneLake shortcuts?  

Shortcuts in OneLake allow you to unify your data across domains, clouds, and accounts by creating a single virtual data lake for your entire enterprise. All Fabric experiences and analytical engines can directly connect to your existing data sources such as Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and OneLake through a unified namespace. OneLake manages all permissions and credentials, so you don’t need to separately configure each Fabric workload to connect to each data source. Additionally, you can use shortcuts to eliminate edge copies of data and reduce process latency associated with data copies and staging. 

Shortcuts are objects in OneLake that point to other storage locations. The location can be internal or external to OneLake. The location that a shortcut points to is known as the target path of the shortcut. The location where the shortcut appears is known as the shortcut path. Shortcuts appear as folders in OneLake and any workload or service that has access to OneLake can use them. Shortcuts behave like symbolic links. They’re an independent object from the target. If you delete a shortcut, the target remains unaffected. If you move, rename, or delete a target path, the shortcut can break. 

Learn more 

• Stretch Database
• Deprecated database engine features in SQL Server 2022
• Install an on-premises data gateway
• SQL Server in Microsoft Fabric? Use CETaS to move data!
• OneLake shortcuts
• CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE AS SELECT (CETaS)

Microsoft Fabric

Bring your data into the era of AI

Explore solutions

The post Announcing the retirement of SQL Server Stretch Database appeared first on Microsoft SQL Server Blog.

• Change Data Capture (CDC) components by Attunity. This is an integrated extract, transform and load (ETL) feature in Enterprise editions of SQL Server 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022. As an integrated feature, while such functionality will remain for the lifecycle of the SQL Server product, support for this feature will cease on December 13, 2025.
• Change Data Capture (CDC) service for Oracle by Attunity. This is a stand-alone feature in SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) feature pack for SQL Server 2016, 2017 and 2019.   The support for CDC service for Oracle by Attunity will cease after December 13, 2025.

Customers using these two features are encouraged to modernize to Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric or Azure Data Factory. Customers can use incremental data loading capability from Azure Data Factory. Azure Data Factory can be used for on-premises data sources with a self-hosted integration runtime and is fully compatible with all impacted versions of SQL Server.

Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric enables you to move and transform data from various sources to various destinations. It’s a managed cloud service designed specifically for handling complex hybrid extract-transform-load (ETL), extract-load-transform (ELT), and data integration projects.

If you need any assistance as you plan your CDC modernization please contact Microsoft Support.

Learn more about Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric and Azure Data Factory:

• Incrementally copy data from a source data store to a destination data store—Azure Data Factory | Microsoft Learn
• Incrementally load data from Data Warehouse to Lakehouse—Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn
• Data Pipeline Pricing and FAQ—Data Factory | Microsoft Azure
• Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric documentation—Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric?

Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric is the next generation of Azure Data Factory which provides cloud-scale data movement and data transformation services that allow you to solve the most complex ETL scenarios. It’s intended to make your experience easy to use, powerful, and truly enterprise-grade.  Data Factory empowers you with a modern data integration experience to ingest, prepare and transform data from a rich set of data sources (for example, databases, data warehouse, Lakehouse, real-time data, and more). Whether you are a citizen or professional developer, you will be able to transform the data with intelligent transformations and leverage a rich set of activities. With Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric, we are bringing fast copy (data movement) capabilities to both dataflows and data pipelines. With Fast Copy, you can move data between your favorite data stores blazing fast. Most importantly, Fast Copy enables you to bring data to your Lakehouse and Data Warehouse in Microsoft Fabric for analytics.

What’s Azure Data Factory?

Azure Data Factory is a cloud-based data integration service that allows you to create data-driven workflows in the cloud for orchestrating and automating data movement and data transformation. It is a fully managed, serverless data integration solution for ingesting, preparing, and transforming all your data at scale. With Azure Data Factory, you can visually integrate data sources using more than 90 built-in, maintenance-free connectors. The service enables you to create and schedule data-driven workflows, called pipelines, that can ingest data from disparate data stores. You can build complex ETL processes that transform data visually with data flows or by using compute services such as Azure HDInsight Hadoop, Azure Databricks, and Azure SQL Database.

You can use Azure Data Factory to access and integrate data from on-premises data sources. One way to do this is by using a self-hosted integration runtime, which acts as a bridge between your on-premises data sources and the cloud-based Azure Data Factory service. This allows you to create data-driven workflows that can ingest data from your on-premises data stores and move it to the cloud for further processing and transformation.

How fast can I ingest data in Fabric data pipelines?

Fabric Data Factory allows you to develop pipelines that maximize data movement throughput for your environment. These pipelines fully utilize the following resources:

• Network bandwidth between the source and destination data stores.
• Source or destination data store input/output operations per second (IOPS) and bandwidth This full utilization means you can estimate the overall throughput by measuring the minimum throughput available with the following resources:
  • Source data store
  • Destination data store
• Network bandwidth in between the source and destination data stores Meanwhile, we continuously work on innovations to boost the best possible throughput you can achieve. Today, the service can move 1 TB TPC-DI dataset (parquet files) into both Fabric Lakehouse table and Data Warehouse within five minutes—moving 1 billion rows under one minute; Please note that this performance is only a reference by running the above testing dataset. The actual throughput still depends on the factors listed previously. In addition, you can always multiply your throughput by running multiple copy activities in parallel. For example, using ForEach loop.

Where can I find more training resources to get started?

• Introduction to Azure Data Factory—Training | Microsoft Learn.
• Get started with Microsoft Fabric—Training | Microsoft Learn.
• Create your first Microsoft Fabric dataflow—Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn.
• Create your first data pipeline to copy data—Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn.

The post SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) Change Data Capture Attunity feature deprecations appeared first on Microsoft SQL Server Blog.