What's new with SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines?
Applies to: 
SQL Server on Azure VM
When you deploy an Azure virtual machine (VM) with SQL Server installed on it, either manually, or through a built-in image, you can use Azure features to improve your experience. This article summarizes the documentation changes associated with new features and improvements in the recent releases of SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines (VMs). To learn more about SQL Server on Azure VMs, see the overview.
For updates made in previous years, see the What's new archive.
Note
Microsoft Entra ID was previously known as Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).
Preview
The following table lists the features of SQL Server on Azure VMs that are currently in preview.
Note
Features currently in preview are available under supplemental terms of use, review for legal terms that apply to Azure features that are in beta, preview, or otherwise not yet released into general availability. SQL Server on Azure VMs provide previews to give you a chance to evaluate and share feedback with the product group on features before they become generally available (GA).
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| FCI with Azure Elastic SAN | Deploy your SQL Server failover cluster instance (FCI) by using an Azure Elastic SAN. |
| I/O Analysis | Use the Azure portal to identify performance issues with your SQL Server workloads from exceeding virtual machine and data disk limits. |
| Premium SSD v2 in the Azure portal | Deploy your SQL Server on Azure VM with Premium SSD v2 disks in the Azure portal for improved throughput and performance. |
General availability (GA)
The following table lists features of SQL Server on Azure VMs that have been made generally available (GA) within the last 12 months:
| Changes | Month | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Mbv3 VM series | November 2024 | A powerful new VM series that currently delivers a high level of IOPs and GB throughput, with strong memory capabilities up to the 176 vCore count for a consistent 8:1 memory-to-vCore ratio in this series. Both VMs in the series offer a consistent 64 maximum data disks per VM size, allowing you to maximize storage performance and still allow fully scalability across the table. The Mbdsv3 VMs in the series have the highest IOPS and GB throughput VMs available in Azure and can scale up to 4 TiBs at the 176 vCore level. |
| Azure Update Manager | April 2024 | Automatically patch multiple SQL Server VMs at scale with the Azure Update Manager integrated in to the SQL virtual machines resource in the Azure portal, including Cumulative Updates. |
| Azure SQL triggers for Azure Functions | March 2024 | Azure Functions supports function triggers for SQL Server on Azure VMs. |
| Azure Elastic SAN | February 2024 | Place your SQL Server workloads on an Azure Elastic SAN for improved performance, throughput, and cost. |
| SQL VM health notifications | September 2023 | The Overview page of the SQL virtual machines resource in the Azure portal now displays information about the health of the SQL IaaS Agent extension, as well as error conditions when the state is unhealthy or failed. Review Troubleshoot the extension to learn more. |
| Configure AG from Azure portal | August 2023 | Deploy an Always On availability group to multiple subnets by using the Azure portal. |
| Azure SQL bindings for Azure Functions | May 2023 | Azure Functions supports input bindings, and output bindings for the Azure SQL and SQL Server products. |
| Auto upgrade SQL IaaS Agent extension | April 2023 | It's now possible to enable the automatic upgrade of your SQL IaaS Agent extension to ensure you're automatically receiving the latest updates to the extension every month |
| Microsoft Entra authentication | April 2023 | Configure Microsoft Entra authentication for your SQL Server on Azure VMs. |
Documentation changes
Learn about significant changes to the SQL Server on Azure VMs documentation. For previous years, see the What's new archive.
November 2024
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Mbsv3 and Mbdsv3 VM series GA | A powerful new VM series that currently delivers one of the highest IOPS and GB throughput, with substantial vCore and memory options. This VM series is now generally available. Review Mbsv3 and Mbdsv3 series to learn more. |
October 2024
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Entra authentication in any cloud | It's now possible to configure Microsoft Entra authentication for your SQL Server on Azure VMs in any cloud. Review Microsoft Entra authentication to learn more. |
September 2024
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Azure Key Vault Managed Hardware Security Module (HSM) support with Extensible Key Management | Azure Key Vault Managed HSM is supported for SQL Server and SQL Server on Azure VMs when using the latest version of the SQL Server Connector, as well as Azure SQL. For more information, see Set up SQL Server TDE Extensible Key Management by using Azure Key Vault. |
| Automated patching retirement | The automated patching feature will retire. Currently scheduled for September 17, 2027. Migrate to Azure Update Manager as soon as possible to continue receiving new updates to the patching feature for your SQL Server on Azure VM and avoid future service disruptions. |
August 2024
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| FCI with Azure Elastic SAN preview | It's now possible to deploy your SQL Server failover cluster instance (FCI) using Azure Elastic SAN volumes. Review FCI with Azure Elastic SAN to learn more. Using this storage solution for your FCI is currently in preview. |
May 2024
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| I/O Analysis preview | Use the Azure portal to identify I/O performance issues with your SQL Server workloads from exceeding virtual machine and data disk limits. This feature is currently in preview. Review I/O Analysis to learn more. |
April 2024
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Azure Update Manager GA | Automatically patch multiple SQL Server VMs at scale with the Azure Update Manager integrated in to the SQL virtual machines resource in the Azure portal, including Cumulative Updates, which isn't currently possible with the existing Automated Patching feature. This feature is now generally available. To learn more, review Azure Update Manager for SQL Server on Azure VMs. |
| Deploy multi-subnet AG with commandline tools | You can deploy an Always On availability group to multiple subnets by using PowerShell and the Azure CLI. Review Deploy multi-subnet AG to get started. |
March 2024
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Azure SQL triggers for Azure Functions GA | Azure Functions supports function triggers for SQL Server on Azure VMs. This feature is now generally available. Review SQL triggers for Azure Functions to learn more. |
| Deploy SQL VM with Premium SSD v2 in Azure portal preview | For improved throughput and performance, provision your SQL Server on Azure VMs with Premium SSD v2 disks by using the Azure portal. Deploying your SQL Server VMs with Premium SSD v2 in the Azure portal is currently in preview. To learn more, review Deploy SQL Server on Azure VMs with Premium SSD v2. |
February 2024
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Azure Elastic SAN GA | You can now place your SQL Server workloads on an Azure Elastic SAN for improved performance, throughput, and cost. The Azure Elastic SAN is now generally available (GA). Review Azure Elastic SAN to learn more. |
| Configure log shipping | Learn to configure log shipping between two SQL Server on Azure VMs. Review Configure log shipping to learn more. |
Archive
For updates made in previous years, see the What's new archive.
Contribute to content
To contribute to the Azure SQL documentation, see the Docs contributor guide.
Additional resources
Windows VMs:
- Overview of SQL Server on Windows VMs
- Provision SQL Server on Windows VMs
- Migration guide: SQL Server to SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
- High availability and disaster recovery for SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
- Performance best practices for SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
- Application patterns and development strategies for SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
Linux VMs: