Learning Azure – Delving into Databases

This week, my Learning Azure series will be talking about some of the databases available on Azure.

Which databases are on Azure?

There are many databases on Azure – including relational data in Azure SQL, NoSQL with Azure Cosmos DB, and even some popular databases in the open source realm such as MySQL and PostgreSQL. These are just a few of the data stores available. Check this page of Azure Databases for a matrix of the databases available compared by their features.

How do I choose the right database?

You’ll want to evaluate your data storage and query needs before you select a data store in Azure. The Azure Architecture Center has guidance on using the best data store for your data. If you aren’t sure which data platforms align with your data models, this guidance to understanding data store models aligns models to their Azure products.

If you aren’t sure where to store your data in Azure, check out this decision tree – Select an Azure data store for your application – that helps you figure out what might be the right fit for your data needs.

If you know your data needs a big data solution, check out their guide – Choose a big data storage technology in Azure.

What if I want to migrate to an Azure database?

There are migration tools to assist in migrating your databases to Azure. These are some of the tools available:

• Migrating from SQL Server to Azure SQL
• Azure Database Migration Service
• Migrate MySQL to Azure Database for MySQL
• Migrate PostgreSQL to Azure DB for PostgreSQL – via Azure portal or Azure CLI
• Migrate MongoDB to Azure Cosmos DB Mongo API

Where can I learn more about databases and migrating them to Azure?

These are some of my favorite resources for learning about the database platforms on Azure.

• Microsoft Learn: Migrate SQL workloads to Azure SQL Databases (learning path)
• Microsoft Learn: Migrate open-source databases to Azure (learning path)
• Microsoft Learn: Migrating Cassandra and MongoDB workloads to Cosmos DB (learning path)
• Microsoft Learn: Migrate a MongoDB database to Azure Cosmos DB
• Data Exposed: SQL Insider Series – SQL Migration tools, which one and when?
• Data Exposed: Assess, get recommendations, & migrate SQL Server to azure using Azure Data Studio
• Data Exposed: How to accelerate Oracle to Azure Database Migration

Rest assured, there are more links to come this week. The platforms I’m going to mention later include:

• Azure SQL
• Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• Azure Database for MySQL
• Azure Cosmos DB