SQL Modernization Day: Migrate and Modernize SQL Server to Azure SQL, Managed Instance, and Fabric

SQL Modernization Day is a live-streamed event organized by Microsoft that brings together the latest sessions from SQL Con, focusing on one question: how to take your current SQL estate and prepare it for what you build next. With SQL Server 2016 out of support and growing AI initiatives requiring data readiness, the Microsoft product team walks through the full picture of SQL — from on-premises servers to Azure to Microsoft Fabric — with practical demos.

■ Overview of the Microsoft SQL Estate
- The state of Microsoft SQL: engine improvements in security, performance, and availability
- Automatic index compaction demo on Azure SQL Hyperscale, plus vector indexing and AI-ready engine features
- Database agents and the Fabric database hub for managing and tuning databases across the Azure stack

■ Azure SQL Hyperscale Deep Dive
- Cloud-native architecture separating compute, log processing, and durable storage
- Service tiers, serverless with auto pause/resume, elastic pools, named replicas, and cost efficiency
- Vector search and RAG patterns close to operational data, plus layered security configuration

■ Migration and Modernization Paths
- End-to-end migration demo from SQL Server to Azure SQL Hyperscale using SQL agent skills in VS Code and SSMS 22
- Assessments, SKU recommendations, backuptarget migration, and post-migration app cutover
- Azure SQL Managed Instance: MI Link online migration (including availability groups), Next-gen General Purpose, and IOPS slider demo

■ Developer and AI Experiences (announced in public preview)
- Microsoft SQL agent skills for GitHub Copilot, Azure SQL Dev Hub, and the Azure SQL Database container
- SQL MCP server integration and building agents with Microsoft Foundry

The event targets developers and DBAs working with SQL Server who are evaluating migration and modernization options. Watching it provides a clearer understanding of which Azure SQL destination fits each workload and the available tooling and AI-assisted paths to get there. Resources mentioned in the sessions include the SQL public roadmap, the SQL Database AI Developer certification, and on-demand replays on the Microsoft SQL and Microsoft Developer YouTube channels.