Azure SQL Devs’ Corner
Voices from the Azure SQL PM Team, focusing on development and developers
Latest posts
Federating Databases with Data API Builder Chaining
For decades, DBAs relied on linked servers to stitch data together. If you needed data from two places, you wired them up and moved on. It worked. It was straightforward. It felt native to SQL.But what if linked servers are not an option? What if policy blocks them? What if one of the systems is not SQL or lives in another cloud? How do you cross engines, environments, and ownership boundaries without turning your architecture into a science project?In most modern enterprises, the limitation is not SQL. It is usually more hidden things like governance, separation of duties, or risk management policy. Applicat...
Dear Copilot, can you help me with SQL?
Perhaps we missed it at first, but Copilot is more than comfortable with SQL. This goes beyond autocomplete. This is moving from nothing to a working database without leaving our tools. Have we really arrived? Yes, sort of. For database engineers and app engineers alike, we have crossed an important line.Making us more productive is easy for Copilot. Modern developers already lean on these models. Making Copilot productive is the real unlock. From schema design to publishing in Azure, the question is not whether Copilot can help, but how we 10x Copilot. Walking through a common workflow, this article makes few ...
Build Intelligent Apps with SQL: Join the SQL + AI Datathon
The SQL + AI Datathon is a hands‑on challenge designed to show how the foundations for building modern, intelligent applications with SQL. Over a set of guided missions and a focused open hack, you’ll learn how to combine SQL with embeddings, semantic search, and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to build real AI‑powered experiences.The SQL + AI Datathon puts SQL at the center of the architecture.You’ll learn how to: Who Should Participate?The SQL + AI Datathon is designed for: Learn Along the Way with the Reactor SeriesTo help you succeed, the Datathon i...
Time Travel in Azure SQL with Temporal Tables
Applications often need to know what data looked like before. Who changed it, when it changed, and what the previous values were. Rebuilding that history in application code is tedious and error prone. This is especially valuable when exposing a database to an AI agent through MCP servers like SQL MCP Server, where information discovery matters. Learn more about SQL MCP Server at https://aka.ms/sql/mcpAzure SQL includes a built in feature that tracks row history automatically. Temporal tables let the database keep a full change history without triggers, audit tables, or custom logic. Working demo https...
Masking Sensitive Data in Azure SQL
Applications often need access to data without needing access to everything. Social Security numbers, email addresses, and phone numbers are common examples. Storing them is required. Exposing them broadly is not. This is especially valuable when exposing a database to an AI agent through MCP servers like SQL MCP Server, where safety and reversibility matter. Learn more about SQL MCP ServerAzure SQL includes built-in features that let the database protect sensitive values automatically. The application does not decide what is visible. The database does. Working demo https://gist.github.comWhat We Ar...
Enable Soft Delete in Azure SQL
Sometimes applications need to remove data without actually losing it. Soft delete keeps rows in the database while making them invisible to normal application access. This is especially valuable when exposing a database to an AI agent through MCP servers like SQL MCP Server, where safety and reversibility matter. Learn more about SQL MCP ServerFiltering on an column in every query is fragile. One missed filter exposes your data. Row Level Security enforces visibility rules inside the database so application code cannot bypass them. Working demo https://gist.github.comWhat We Are BuildingA table...
Introducing Budget Bytes: Build Powerful AI Apps for Under $25
When developers hear "cloud" and "AI," their first thought is often about cost. "How much will this cost me to learn? Can I build something meaningful without racking up a surprise bill?" Budget Bytes is a new series is designed to inspire developers to build affordable, production-quality AI applications on Azure with a budget of $25 or less. Yes, you read that right, twenty-five dollars! What is Budget Bytes?Budget Bytes is an episodic video series featuring developers building end-to-end scenarios from scratch. But here's what makes it different: This season c...
Semantic Reranking with Azure SQL, SQL Server 2025 and Cohere Rerank models
Supporting re‑ranking has been one of the most common requests lately. While not always essential, it can be a valuable addition to a solution when you want to improve the precision of your results. Unfortunately, there isn’t a universal, standardized API for a “re‑rank” call across providers, so the most reliable approach today is to issue a manual REST request and build the payload according to the documentation of the re‑ranker you choose.How a Re-ranking Model Improves RetrievalVector search is excellent for quickly finding likely matches, but it can still surface items that aren’t the best answer. A re‑r...
Data API builder’s “request-body-strict” Simplifies Client Code
Data API builder (DAB) provides REST and GraphQL endpoints over SQL Server, Azure Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQL Data Warehouse.The configuration value controls how REST endpoints treat unknown JSON properties in the payload: Read the documentation.Let's try it outThe database tableImagine a simple table called Category with only two columns:The configuration fileCreate your Data API builder configuration file with the following command line commands:The JSON payloadWhen you call the REST endpoint for Category at , the resulting JSON looks like this:The C...
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