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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.
Note
The following released version, date, and content only correspond to the actual deployment of the Microsoft Azure Clouds.
It provides the evolution history of Azure SQL service on Azure Public Cloud in most cases.
Please note that in some cases, it may not be consistent with the actual deployment of Azure operated by 21Vianet.
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.
| 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. |
September 2026
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| 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. |
April 2026
| Changes | Details |
|---|---|
| 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. |
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, a new home for everything related to Azure SQL in the Azure portal. |
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: