By name: azure-sql-virtual-machines description: Expert knowledge for SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. Use when planning SQL VM vs managed options, Always On/FCI, IaaS Agent, Key Vault/MI auth, or Blob Storage backups, and other SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines related development tasks. Not for Azure SQL Database (use azure-sql-database), Azure SQL Managed Instance (use azure-sql-managed-instance), Azure Virtual Machines (use azure-virtual-machines), Azure Data Science Virtual Machines (use azure-data-science-vm). compatibility: Requires network access. Uses mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch or fetch_webpage to retrieve documentation. metadata: generated_at: "2026-06-21" generator: "docs2skills/1.0.0"
SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines Skill
This skill provides expert guidance for SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.
How to Use This Skill
IMPORTANT for Agent: Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g.,
L35-L120), useread_filewith the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g.,[security.md](security.md)), useread_fileon the linked reference file
IMPORTANT for Agent: If
metadata.generated_atis more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. Ifmcp_microsoftdocstools are not available, suggest the user install it: Installation Guide
This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content:
- Preferred: Use
mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetchwith query stringfrom=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown. - Fallback: Use
fetch_webpagewith query stringfrom=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.
Category Index
| Category | Lines | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Troubleshooting | L37-L53 | Diagnosing and fixing Azure SQL and SQL Server on Azure VM issues: connectivity, performance, capacity, memory, I/O, geo-replication, and transaction log full errors. |
| Best Practices | L54-L67 | Best practices for SQL Server on Azure VMs: HA/DR clustering, DNN listeners, backup/restore, performance tuning, storage and VM sizing, baselines, and best practices assessments. |
| Decision Making | L68-L82 | Guidance for choosing Azure SQL options and pricing, comparing SQL VMs vs managed services, planning HADR, licensing, and migrating (Db2/Oracle/SQL 2014) to SQL Server on Azure VMs. |
| Architecture & Design Patterns | L83-L91 | High-level designs and patterns for SQL Server on Azure VMs: connectivity, Always On availability groups, failover cluster instances, and Windows Server Failover Clustering setup. |
| Limits & Quotas | L92-L96 | Info on Azure SQL capacity limits, DTU benchmark behavior, regional feature availability, and how to request quota increases for databases and managed instances |
| Security | L97-L107 | Securing SQL Server on Azure VMs: TLS/cert rotation, Azure Policy, Key Vault/EKM, managed identities, Entra auth, hardening guidance, and confidential VM deployment. |
| Configuration | L108-L149 | Configuring SQL Server on Azure VMs: clustering/FCI and AG setups, load balancers/listeners, storage and tempdb layout, backups, editions/versions, and SQL IaaS Agent management. |
| Integrations & Coding Patterns | L150-L155 | Backing up SQL Server on Azure VMs directly to Azure Blob Storage, including configurations that use managed identities instead of stored credentials. |
| Deployment | L156-L171 | Deploying and configuring SQL Server Always On availability groups and FCI on Azure VMs, including single/multi-subnet, cross-region, prerequisites, and migration of VMs and disks. |
Troubleshooting
Best Practices
Decision Making
Architecture & Design Patterns
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Understand connectivity architecture for Azure SQL Database | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connectivity-architecture?view=azuresql |
| Apply SQL Server application patterns on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/application-patterns-development-strategies?view=azuresql |
| Design Always On availability groups for SQL Server on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/availability-group-overview?view=azuresql |
| Understand failover cluster instances for SQL Server on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/failover-cluster-instance-overview?view=azuresql |
| Use Windows Server Failover Clustering with SQL Server on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/hadr-windows-server-failover-cluster-overview?view=azuresql |
Limits & Quotas
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Understand DTU benchmark characteristics for Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/dtu-benchmark?view=azuresql |
Security
Configuration
Integrations & Coding Patterns
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Back up SQL Server on Azure VMs to Azure Blob Storage | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/azure-storage-sql-server-backup-restore-use?view=azuresql |
| Back up SQL Server VM databases to Blob using managed identity | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/backup-restore-to-url-using-managed-identities?view=azuresql |