What is Azure SQL Database?

Azure SQL Database may be a fully managed platform as a service (PaaS) database engine that handles most of the management functions like upgrading, patching, backups, and monitoring without user involvement. Azure SQL Database is usually running on the newest stable version of the SQL Server database engine and patched OS with 99.99% availability. PaaS abilities that are built into Azure SQL Database enable you to specialize in the domain-specific database administration and optimization activities that are critical for your business.

With Azure SQL Database, you'll create a highly available and high-performance data storage layer for the applications and solutions in Azure. SQL Database is often the proper choice for a spread of recent cloud applications because it enables you to process both relational data and non-relational structures, like graphs, JSON, spatial, and XML.

Azure SQL Database is predicated on the newest stable version of the Microsoft SQL Server database engine. you'll use advanced query processing features, like high-performance in-memory technologies and intelligent query processing. In fact, the most recent capabilities of SQL Server are released first to SQL Database, then to SQL Server itself. You get the most recent SQL Server capabilities with no overhead for patching or upgrading, tested across many databases.

SQL Database empowers you to just characterize and scale execution inside two distinctive buying models: a vCore-based buying model and a DTU-based buying model. SQL Database may be a fully managed service that has built-in high availability, backups, and other common maintenance operations. Microsoft handles all patching and updating of the SQL and OS code. you do not need to manage the underlying infrastructure.

Deployment models

Azure SQL Database provides the subsequent deployment options for a database:

• A single database represents a totally managed, isolated database. you would possibly use this feature if you've got modern cloud applications and microservices that require one reliable data source. one database is analogous to a contained database within the SQL Server database engine.
• The elastic pool may be a collection of single databases with a shared set of resources, like CPU or memory. Single databases are often moved into and out of an elastic pool.

SQL Database delivers predictable performance with multiple resource types, service tiers, and compute sizes. Azure provides dynamic scalability with no downtime, built-in intelligent optimization, global scalability, availability, and advanced security options. These capabilities allow you to specialize in rapid app development and accelerating your time-to-market, instead of on managing virtual machines and infrastructure. SQL Database is currently in 38 data centers around the world, so you'll run your database during a data center near you.

Scalable performance and pools

You can define the number of resources assigned.

• With single databases, each database is isolated from others and is portable. Each has its own guaranteed amount of computing, memory, and storage resources. the quantity of the resources assigned to the database is devoted thereto database and is not shared with other databases in Azure. you'll dynamically scale single database resources up and down. the only database option provides different compute, memory, and storage resources for various needs. for instance, you'll get 1 to 80 vCores, or 32 GB to 4 TB. The hyper-scale service tier for single databases enables you to scale to 100 TB, with fast backup and restore capabilities.
• With elastic pools, you'll assign resources that are shared by all databases within the pool. you'll create a replacement database, or move the prevailing single databases into a resource pool to maximize the utilization of resources and economize. this feature also gives you the power to dynamically scale elastic pool resources up and down.

You can build your first app on a little, single database at a coffee cost per month within the general-purpose service tier. you'll then change its service tier manually or programmatically at any time to the business-critical service tier, to satisfy the requirements of your solution. you'll adjust performance without downtime to your app or to your customers. Dynamic scalability enables your database to transparently answer rapidly changing resource requirements. You buy only the resources that you simply need once you need them.

Dynamic scalability is different from the auto-scale. Autoscale is when a service scales automatically supported criteria, whereas dynamic scalability allows for manual scaling without downtime. the only database option supports manual dynamic scalability, but not auto-scale. For a more automatic experience, think about using elastic pools, which permit databases to share resources during a pool supported individual database needs. an alternative choice is to use scripts that will help automate scalability for one database. For example, see Use PowerShell watch and scale one database.