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
Whenever an organization tells me they are migrating their databases to platforms like Azure SQL, AWS RDS, or Google Cloud SQL, one question almost always follows: “Once we are in the cloud, Microsoft or AWS or GCP handles the maintenance, right? Do we still need dedicated SQL managed services or a DBA to manage the … Read more
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
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
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
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
If you’re planning a database migration or architecting a new cloud-native solution, you’ve likely hit this exact crossroads: should you choose Azure SQL DB or Azure SQL Managed Instance? Both are fully managed PaaS offerings, but they serve very different use cases. Making the wrong choice early on can lead to architectural roadblocks, complex refactoring, … Read more
In this guide, we will walk through how to seamlessly integrate Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) with your SQL Managed Instance using the SSMS tool. Just follow the below steps to connect to SQL MI server. Step 1: Copy the SQL MI Hostname from Azure Portal Log in to the Azure Portal and … Read more
Configuring Microsoft Entra Admin for Azure SQL Managed Instance (MI) ensures secure identity management and streamlined access control. In this guide, we’ll walk through the steps to set up Entra Admin directly from the Azure Portal, making it easier to manage authentication and permissions for your SQL MI environment. Steps to Configure Microsoft Entra Admin … Read more
In the world of cloud-native databases, “Backup” is only half the story. The true value lies in Restoring the database as to recover data quickly, accurately, and with minimal downtime. As SQL MI is a PaaS service offered by Microsoft, the SQL MI user database backups are automatically handled by Azure. Choosing the right backup … Read more