azure-sql-virtual-machines

What this skill does

# 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`), use `read_file` with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., `[security.md](security.md)`), use `read_file` on the linked reference file

> **IMPORTANT for Agent**: If `metadata.generated_at` is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If `mcp_microsoftdocs` tools are not available, suggest the user install it: [Installation Guide](https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/mcp/blob/main/README.md)

This skill requires **network access** to fetch documentation content:
- **Preferred**: Use `mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch` with query string `from=learn-agent-skill`. Returns Markdown.
- **Fallback**: Use `fetch_webpage` with query string `from=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, transaction log full, geo-replication, I/O throttling, and extension/OS problems. |
| Best Practices | L54-L66 | Best practices for SQL Server on Azure VMs: maintenance planning, HADR/FCI/DNN setup, backup/restore, performance baselines, VM sizing, and storage configuration. |
| Decision Making | L67-L81 | 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 | L82-L90 | 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 | L91-L95 | Info on Azure SQL capacity limits, DTU benchmark behavior, regional feature availability, and how to request quota increases for databases and managed instances |
| Security | L96-L106 | 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 | L107-L148 | 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 | L149-L154 | Backing up SQL Server on Azure VMs directly to Azure Blob Storage, including configurations that use managed identities instead of stored credentials. |
| Deployment | L155-L170 | 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
| Topic | URL |
|-------|-----|
| Resolve capacity errors when deploying Azure SQL resources | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/capacity-errors-troubleshoot?view=azuresql |
| Fix slow database import and export in Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/database-import-export-hang?view=azuresql |
| Troubleshoot and mitigate transient connectivity errors in Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/troubleshoot-common-connectivity-issues?view=azuresql |
| Troubleshoot Azure SQL and Fabric SQL connectivity errors | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/troubleshoot-common-errors-issues?view=azuresql |
| Troubleshoot geo-replication and redo lag in Azure SQL Database | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/troubleshoot-geo-replication-redo?view=azuresql |
| Investigate and fix memory issues in Azure SQL Database | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/troubleshoot-memory-errors-issues?view=azuresql |
| Diagnose and fix Azure SQL DB transaction log full errors | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/troubleshoot-transaction-log-errors-issues?view=azuresql-db |
| Resolve known issues in Azure SQL Managed Instance | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/doc-changes-updates-known-issues?view=azuresql |
| Resolve transaction log full errors in Azure SQL Managed Instance | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/troubleshoot-transaction-log-errors-issues?view=azuresql-mi |
| Resolve common SQL Server on Linux Azure VM issues | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/linux/frequently-asked-questions-faq?view=azuresql |
| Resolve common SQL Server on Azure Windows VM issues | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/frequently-asked-questions-faq?view=azuresql |
| Troubleshoot SQL Server IaaS Agent extension issues on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/sql-agent-extension-troubleshoot-known-issues?view=azuresql |
| Diagnose I/O throttling for SQL Server on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/storage-performance-analysis?view=azuresql |

### Best Practices
| Topic | URL |
|-------|-----|
| Prepare for planned maintenance in Azure SQL | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/planned-maintenance?view=azuresql |
| Use SQL features with DNN listeners on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/availability-group-dnn-interoperability?view=azuresql |
| Apply backup and restore strategies for SQL Server on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/backup-restore?view=azuresql |
| Use SQL Server features with FCI DNN on Azure | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/failover-cluster-instance-dnn-interoperability?view=azuresql |
| Configure HADR clusters for SQL Server on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/hadr-cluster-best-practices?view=azuresql |
| Apply performance best-practice checklist for SQL Server on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/performance-guidelines-best-practices-checklist?view=azuresql |
| Collect performance baselines for SQL Server on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/performance-guidelines-best-practices-collect-baseline?view=azuresql |
| Optimize Azure SQL VM storage performance configuration | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/performance-guidelines-best-practices-storage?view=azuresql |
| Apply VM sizing performance best practices for SQL Server on Azure VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/performance-guidelines-best-practices-vm-size?view=azuresql |

### Decision Making
| Topic | URL |
|-------|-----|
| Use Azure SQL decision tree to choose service | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/azure-sql-decision-tree?view=azuresql |
| Check Azure SQL Database feature availability by region | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/region-availability?view=azuresql |
| Check Azure SQL Managed Instance feature availability by region | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/region-availability?view=azuresql |
| Answer migration and modernization questions for Azure SQL | https://learn.micros