Azure SQL MI: SMK vs. CMK vs. BYOK

Every cloud database administrator fears one thing. You wake up on Monday morning. Your database status shows “Recovery Pending” or “Inaccessible.” The database files still sit on the storage disk. However, nobody can open or read the data from the database. In Azure SQL Managed Instance, Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) protects files when stored on … Read more

What is an Azure SQL Managed Instance Pool? Guide & Uses

An Azure SQL Managed Instance Pool is a shared cloud infrastructure resource that allows you to pre-provision compute capacity and deploy multiple, smaller Azure SQL Managed Instances into a single underlying virtual cluster. Think of an Azure SQL Managed Instance Pool like a large apartment building: The building itself = the pool (shared infrastructure, pre-provisioned … Read more

Setup SQL Server 2019 on an Ubuntu Spot Azure VM with Docker

Running SQL Server on Linux is easier than ever thanks to Docker. In this guide, I’ll walk you through deploying a spot instance VM on Azure, installing Docker, and running SQL Server 2019 Developer edition instance inside a container. The screenshots from the Azure Portal and command prompt will help illustrate the process. I tested … Read more

Download SSMS Tool: All Versions, Official Links & Build History

Download the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) tool onto your machine and connect to SQL Server, whether it’s on-premises or in the cloud. Use SSMS to connect to: All executable (.exe) files are hosted on Microsoft’s official website and not on my own site. This page offers two options for downloading SSMS. Download the SSMS … Read more

Fix Azure SQL MI to SQL DB Linked Server Errors Using Entra ID

Welcome back to another deep dive on Cloud Nerchuko. If you have ever tried setting up a Linked Server from an Azure SQL Managed Instance (MI) to an Azure SQL Database using a System-Assigned Managed Identity, you know that Azure networking can sometimes feel like navigating a maze of invisible walls. Recently, I went through … Read more

How to Create Linked Servers in SQL MI Using Entra ID

When migrating to Azure SQL Managed Instance (SQL MI), Linked Servers often become a critical requirement for maintaining cross-environment connectivity. They act as a vital bridge, allowing you to execute queries or call stored procedures across diverse environments whether that is an on-premises database, Azure SQL DB, SQL Server on an Azure VM, or another … Read more

Create Cosmos DB Serverless account using Azure CLI

In this comprehensive engineering guide, we will completely bypass the Azure Portal clicks and build a production-ready, serverless Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL account using the Azure CLI. In this blog post, I tested the commands for creating a single-region Cosmos DB serverless account. The Azure CLI commands are tested, and resources get deployed as … Read more

Azure SQL Managed Instance RTO and RPO details

In the modern digital landscape, applications rely on databases to remain functional at all times. However, unforeseen events such as hardware failures, regional power outages, or accidental human errors can disrupt normal operations. To protect data and ensure business continuity, Microsoft Azure SQL Managed Instance offers a robust set of recovery tools. Here are the … Read more

Scaling Downtime in SQL Managed Instance

In this post, I am going to share my hands-on experience measuring the actual downtime you can expect when scaling an Azure SQL Managed Instance (SQL MI) up or down. Specifically, I will be walking you through a real-world test of scaling storage size and vCores using a free-tier SQL Managed Instance. I will append … Read more