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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
Microsoft Entra ID was previously known as Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).
Preview
The following table lists the features of SQL Server on Azure VMs that are currently in preview.
| 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. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Update Manager | April 2024 | Automatically patch multiple SQL Server VMs at scale with the Azure Update Manager integrated in to the SQL virtual machines resource in the Azure portal, including Cumulative Updates. |
Documentation changes
Learn about significant changes to the SQL Server on Azure VMs documentation. For previous years, see the What's new archive.
Caution
SQL Server isn't supported on VM sizes that deploy with an uninitialized ephemeral disk. To learn more, review VM deployment and SQL Server failures.
April 2025
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
Place tempdb to ephemeral storage |
If you're manually installing SQL Server to an Azure VM, be sure to place tempdb on ephemeral storage to improve performance. This is a best practice for SQL Server on Azure VMs. |
March 2025
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Deployment and installation failures | The SQL Server on Azure VM team has identified issues that can cause your SQL Server VM fail to deploy, or prevent you from installing SQL Server to an Azure VM. To learn more, review VM deployment failure and SQL Server installation failure. |
| Manual installation best practices | We've added a section with best practices to follow when you're manually installing SQL Server to your Azure VM. Review Manual installation best practices to learn more. |
January 2025
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Modernization Advisor preview | Use the Modernization Advisor in the Azure portal for your SQL Server on Azure VM to determine if you can save on cost or optimize your performance by migrating your workload to Azure SQL Managed Instance. This feature is currently in preview. Review Modernization Advisor to learn more. |
October 2024
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Entra authentication in any cloud | It's now possible to configure Microsoft Entra authentication for your SQL Server on Azure VMs in any cloud. Review Microsoft Entra authentication to learn more. |
Archive
For updates made in previous years, see the What's new archive.
Additional resources
Windows VMs:
- Overview of SQL Server on Windows VMs
- Provision SQL Server on Windows VMs
- 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: