Managed Databases

Beyond Azure SQL Database, Azure offers SQL Managed Instance for near-full SQL Server compatibility, plus fully managed MySQL and PostgreSQL services for open-source workloads.

Overview

Three managed database offerings cover most workload migration scenarios:

SQL Managed Instance

SQL MI is a fully managed SQL Server instance — think SQL Server deployed in a VNet, managed by Azure, with near 100% feature compatibility including SQL Agent, CLR, linked servers, cross-database queries, and service broker.

SQL MI vs Azure SQL Database

Azure Database for MySQL

Fully managed MySQL with automatic backups, patching, and HA. The Flexible Server deployment is the recommended option (replaces Single Server which is being retired).

# Create MySQL Flexible Server
az mysql flexible-server create \
  --resource-group rg-database \
  --name myapp-mysql-flex \
  --location eastus \
  --admin-user mysqladmin \
  --admin-password "P@ssw0rd2024!" \
  --sku-name Standard_D2ds_v4 \
  --tier GeneralPurpose \
  --version 8.0

# Create database
az mysql flexible-server db create \
  --resource-group rg-database \
  --server-name myapp-mysql-flex \
  --database-name appdb

# Open firewall (add client IP)
az mysql flexible-server firewall-rule create \
  --resource-group rg-database \
  --name myapp-mysql-flex \
  --rule-name ClientIP \
  --start-ip-address 203.0.113.10 \
  --end-ip-address 203.0.113.10

# Connection string (MySQL)
# Server=myapp-mysql-flex.mysql.database.azure.com;
# Database=appdb;Uid=mysqladmin;Pwd=P@ssw0rd2024!;SslMode=Required;

Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Fully managed PostgreSQL with Flexible Server (standard deployment) and extensions support (PostGIS, pg_vector, etc.). Ideal for Python (Django/SQLAlchemy), Ruby on Rails, and Node.js apps.

# Create PostgreSQL Flexible Server
az postgres flexible-server create \
  --resource-group rg-database \
  --name myapp-pg-flex \
  --location eastus \
  --admin-user pgadmin \
  --admin-password "P@ssw0rd2024!" \
  --sku-name Standard_D2ds_v4 \
  --tier GeneralPurpose \
  --version 16

# Create database
az postgres flexible-server db create \
  --resource-group rg-database \
  --server-name myapp-pg-flex \
  --database-name appdb

# Connect (psql)
psql -h myapp-pg-flex.postgres.database.azure.com \
  -U pgadmin -d appdb

# Enable PostGIS extension
# In psql: CREATE EXTENSION postgis;

Decision Guide

Hands-on

1. Create an Azure DB for MySQL Flexible Server and connect with MySQL Workbench.
2. Create a PostgreSQL Flexible Server, connect via psql, and create a table.
3. Enable the pg_vector extension on PostgreSQL for AI embedding storage.
4. Compare the connection strings and discuss how apps point to managed DBs.
5. Review the Metrics panel for each DB — examine active connections and query time.

Debugging Scenario

Issue: MySQL app throws "SSL connection error" after migrating to Azure DB for MySQL.

• Azure DB for MySQL enforces SSL by default. Download the DigiCert root CA certificate from Azure docs and point your app's SSL CA setting to it.
• For MySQL connectors: add SslMode=Required;SslCa=/path/to/DigiCertGlobalRootG2.crt.pem to the connection string.
• Test with mysql --ssl-ca=cert.pem -h server.mysql.database.azure.com -u admin -p.

Interview Questions

Summary

SQL Managed Instance offers the closest lift-and-shift path for SQL Server workloads. Azure DB for MySQL and PostgreSQL provide fully managed open-source database options without vendor lock-in. All three include automatic backups, patching, HA, and built-in monitoring.