Note
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try signing in or changing directories.
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try changing directories.
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
Self-installed SQL Server instances fail to start when you place tempdb on the local temp disk for Azure VM images with uninitialized ephemeral disks, such as the FXmdsv2. Deploy a SQL Server image through Azure Marketplace, use a different VM series, or use the Azure VM ephemeral NVMe storage script to initialize drives before SQL Server starts. To learn more about the issue and see a list of affected VMs, review SQL Server failures.
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 |
|---|---|
| Modernization Advisor | Use the Modernization Advisor in the Azure portal to help you determine if migrating to Azure SQL Managed Instance saves you money or optimizes performance. |
| 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. |
| Azure portal script-based deployment for SQL Server on Linux VMs | Deploy SQL Server on Linux Azure VMs from a supported RHEL or Ubuntu base image. Azure installs and configures SQL Server during VM provisioning and automatically registers the VM with the SQL Server IaaS Agent extension. This experience replaces the deprecated precreated SQL Server on Linux Azure Marketplace images. |
| Unified inventory | View your SQL Server on Azure VM and SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc resources in a single pane in the Azure portal. With unified inventory, you can view your SQL Server instance resources, making it easier to monitor and maintain your SQL Server workloads in Azure. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Migration from the Azure portal | June 2026 | Migrate your SQL Server databases to SQL Server on Azure VMs directly from the Azure portal. |
| VM vCore customization | May 2026 | Customize the number of vCPUs presented to the guest OS for SQL Server workloads with configurable constrained cores (CCC), and disable Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT). This capability allows you to appropriately size the vCPU count to match your SQL Server licensing needs while preserving the VM's memory and I/O capabilities. |
Documentation changes
Learn about significant changes to the SQL Server on Azure VMs documentation. For previous years, see the What's new archive.
September 2026
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Azure portal script-based deployment for SQL Server on Linux VMs preview | Precreated SQL Server on Linux Azure Marketplace images are deprecated. Instead, you start from a supported Linux base image, and Azure installs and configures SQL Server during VM provisioning and registers the VM with the SQL Server IaaS Agent extension. You can start from the Create a virtual machine page in the Azure portal or from the Azure SQL hub. This feature is currently in preview. To learn more, see Azure portal deployment and Provision a Linux VM running SQL Server. |
| SQL VM deployment failure resolved | The issue that caused SQL Server on Azure VM deployments to fail when tempdb was placed on the local temp disk for Azure VM images with uninitialized ephemeral disks has been resolved. The issue continues to impact self-installed SQL Server instances. To learn more about the issue and see a list of affected VMs, review SQL Server failures. |
June 2026
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Migration through the Azure portal GA | Migrate your SQL Server databases to SQL Server on Azure VMs directly from the Azure portal. This feature is now generally available (GA). To learn more, see Migration from the Azure portal. |
May 2026
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| VM vCore customization GA | Customize the number of vCPUs presented to the guest OS for SQL Server workloads with configurable constrained cores (CCC), and disable Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT). This capability allows you to appropriately size the vCPU count to match your SQL Server licensing needs while preserving the VM's memory and I/O capabilities. VM vCore customization is now generally available (GA) for SQL Server on Azure VMs. To learn more, review VM vCore customization. |
April 2026
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Migration through the Azure portal preview | Migrate your SQL Server databases to SQL Server on Azure VMs directly from the Azure portal. This feature is currently in preview. To learn more, see Migration from the Azure portal. |
| SQL Server servicing and updates guidance | New article that describes the supported methods to keep SQL Server up to date on Azure VMs, including Azure Update Manager, Automated Patching, custom images, winget for client tools, and post-deployment automation. SQL Server images from Azure Marketplace are deployed at RTM and aren't updated over time. For more information, see Updating SQL Server on Azure VMs. |
March 2026
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Unified inventory preview | You can now view your SQL Server on Azure VM and SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc resources in a single pane in the Azure portal. With unified inventory, you can view your SQL Server instance resources, making it easier to monitor and maintain your SQL Server workloads in Azure. This feature is now in preview. For more information, see Unified inventory for SQL Server on Azure VMs. |
January 2026
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| VM vCore customization for SQL Server on Azure VMs preview | You can now customize the number of vCPUs presented to the guest OS for SQL Server workloads with configurable constrained cores (CCC), and disable Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT). This capability allows you to appropriately size the vCPU count to match your SQL Server licensing needs while preserving the VM's memory and I/O capabilities. This feature is now in preview. For more information, see VM vCore customization for SQL Server on Azure VMs. |
September 2025
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| New Azure SQL hub | Choosing the right Azure SQL service can be challenging. To make this easier, we built the Azure SQL hub at aka.ms/azuresqlhub, a new home for everything related to Azure SQL in the Azure portal. For more information, read the blog post Introducing the Azure SQL hub: A simpler, guided entry into Azure SQL. |
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: