The difference between Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance
Database management is important. It requires the best tools in the trade to ensure the best performance. Microsoft’s Azure ASQ Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance are databases-as-a-Service (DVaaS-PaaS). Both services have a ton of similarities, such as their query processing, database management, and even the standard form of the SQL language. However, they also have some differences, and this new post by our DEV IT engineers will help you choose the right one for your business.
What is Azure SQL Managed Instance?
Azure SQL Managed Instance is an intelligent and scalable service for cloud databases. It combines the broadest SQL server database engine compatibility with several benefits of being a fully managed platform. You can use it to move on-prem SQL apps and even use a few unique features to Azure SQL, such as linked servers, database mail, and service brokers.
What is Azure SQL Database?
An Azure SQL Database is a managed and intelligent SQL database in the cloud. It can be quickly scaled to meet the demands of your applications’ demands, is automatically available, and supports a wide range of third-party software.
Key Difference in features
| S.No. | Azure SQL Managed Instance | Azure SQL Database |
| 1 | SQL Managed Instance provides native Virtual Network (VNet) integration. | Azure SQL Database enables restricted Virtual Network (VNet) access using VNet Endpoints |
| 2 | SQL Managed Instance takes automated backups and from full backups placed on Azure Blob Storage. | Azure SQL Database takes automated backups only. |
| 3 | SQL Managed Instance does Not support Active Geo-replication, but it supports an alternative solution is Auto-failover groups. | SQL Database supported Active Geo-replication in all service tiers other than Hyperscale. |
| 4 | SQL Managed Instance do Not support auto-scale. You need to choose reserved compute and storage | SQL Database Only supported Auto-scale in the Serverless model. |
| 5 | Automatic tuning/indexing is not supported by SQL Manage instances. | Automatic tuning/indexing support by SQL Manage instance. |
| 6 | Elastic jobs do not support SQL Managed Instance. SQL Agent can be used instead. | Elastic jobs are supported in SQL Database. |
| 7 | SQL Managed Instances do Not support Long-term backup retention (LTR). Manual backups as a temporary workaround. | SQL Database Support Long-term backup retention (LTR) keeps automatically taken backups for up to ten years. |
| 8 | SQL Managed Instance does Not support Hyperscale architecture. | SQL Database Supports Hyperscale architecture. |
| 9 | SQL Managed Instance supports SQL Server Profiler. | SQL Database does not support SQL Server Profiler. |
| 10 | SQL Managed Instance supports Cross-database transactions. | SQL Database does not support Cross-database transactions. |
| 11 | SQL Managed Instance support Database mail (DbMail). | SQL Database does not support Database mail (DbMail). |
| 12 | SQL Managed Instance supports Linked servers. | SQL Database does not support Linked servers. |
| 13 | SQL Managed Instance Support Service Broker. | SQL Database does not support Service Broker. |
| 14 | SQL Managed Instance supports SQL Server Agent. | SQL Database does not support SQL Server Agent. |
| 15 | SQL Managed Instance supports SQL Server auditing. | SQL Database does not support SQL Server auditing. |
When to choose Azure SQL Managed Instance?
- When you want native Virtual Network (VNet) integration with all the benefits of a fully managed platform as a service (PaaSthe ).
- For example, use SQL MI when application services components (e.g., App tier) are running in Azure Virtual Machine (VM) or Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS) in VNet.
- You want nearly full compatibility with SQL Server on-premises.
- Your application relies heavily on SQL agent, DB mail, or Linked server.
- Best for migrations allows existing SQL Server customers to lift and shift their on-premises applications to the cloud with minimal application and database changes and as low a migration effort as possible.
When to choose Azure SQL Database?
- You don’t need native Virtual Network (VNet) integration but need all the benefits of a fully managed platform as a service (PaaS).
- For example, use SQL Database when application services components (e.g., App tier) are running in Azure App Service.
Conclusion
This blog explained the clear differences between Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance. We hope that reading this would have made these differences clear and would help you make an informed decision about which one to choose in the future.