Complete Feature Mapping -- SQL Server to Azure SQL¶

60+ SQL Server features mapped across Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure VMs.

How to read this mapping¶

Each feature is rated for availability in each Azure SQL target:

• Full -- Feature is fully supported, functionally equivalent to on-premises
• Partial -- Feature is supported with limitations (noted in the migration guidance column)
• Alternative -- Feature is not available but a cloud-native alternative exists
• Not available -- Feature is not supported and no direct alternative exists in this target

Database engine features¶

Security features¶

High availability and disaster recovery¶

Performance features¶

Integration and ETL features¶

Reporting and analytics features¶

Storage and data features¶

Programmability features¶

Management and monitoring features¶

Feature availability summary¶

Common migration blockers and solutions¶

CLR assemblies¶

Problem: Application uses CLR stored procedures or functions with EXTERNAL_ACCESS or UNSAFE permission sets.

Solution by target:

• Azure SQL DB: Not supported. Rewrite CLR logic in T-SQL, or move to Azure Functions called via sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint.
• Azure SQL MI: SAFE assemblies supported. UNSAFE/EXTERNAL_ACCESS blocked by default. Some can be converted to SAFE.
• SQL on VM: Full support. Direct migration.

Cross-database queries¶

Problem: Application queries across multiple databases on the same instance.

Solution by target:

• Azure SQL DB: Use elastic queries (limited performance). Better: consolidate databases or use application-level joins.
• Azure SQL MI: Full cross-database query support. Direct migration.
• SQL on VM: Full support. Direct migration.

SQL Agent jobs¶

Problem: Dozens or hundreds of SQL Agent jobs for maintenance, ETL, and business logic.

Solution by target:

• Azure SQL DB: Migrate to Elastic Jobs, Azure Automation, or ADF pipeline triggers.
• Azure SQL MI: Full SQL Agent support. Direct migration.
• SQL on VM: Full support. Direct migration.

Linked servers¶

Problem: Application uses linked servers to query other SQL instances, Oracle, or other data sources.

Solution by target:

• Azure SQL DB: Not supported. Use ADF or sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint for external data access.
• Azure SQL MI: Full linked server support including OLEDB providers.
• SQL on VM: Full support. Direct migration.

SSIS packages¶

Problem: Complex SSIS packages for ETL/ELT workloads.

Solution by target:

• Azure SQL DB / MI: Deploy Azure-SSIS Integration Runtime in ADF. Packages run unchanged. Alternatively, modernize to ADF pipelines with dbt (CSA-in-a-Box pattern).
• SQL on VM: Full SSIS support. Direct migration.

Service Broker¶

Problem: Application uses Service Broker for asynchronous messaging.

Solution by target:

• Azure SQL DB: Not supported. Migrate to Azure Service Bus or Event Grid.
• Azure SQL MI: Within-instance Service Broker supported. Cross-instance not available.
• SQL on VM: Full support. Direct migration.

Distributed transactions (MSDTC)¶

Problem: Application uses distributed transactions across multiple databases or services.

Solution by target:

• Azure SQL DB: Limited elastic transactions for cross-database scenarios within the same server.
• Azure SQL MI: Distributed transactions support (preview). Requires VNet peering between instances.
• SQL on VM: Full MSDTC support. Direct migration.

Database Mail¶

Problem: Stored procedures and jobs send email notifications via Database Mail.

Solution by target:

• Azure SQL DB: Not supported. Use Azure Logic Apps, Azure Functions, or Azure Communication Services to send emails triggered by database events.
• Azure SQL MI: Full Database Mail support. Configure SMTP relay settings after migration.
• SQL on VM: Full support. Direct migration.

SSRS reports¶

Problem: Organization has hundreds of SSRS reports deployed on-premises.

Solution by target:

• Azure SQL DB / MI: SSRS is not available as a managed service. Options:
  • Migrate RDL reports to Power BI paginated reports (recommended for cloud-native)
  • Deploy SSRS on a separate Azure VM
  • Use the Power BI Report Builder to recreate reports
• SQL on VM: Full SSRS support. Install SSRS on the same or separate VM.

SSAS tabular/multidimensional models¶

Problem: SSAS cubes provide analytical capabilities for business users.

Solution by target:

• Azure SQL DB / MI: SSAS is not available. Options:
  • Migrate tabular models to Azure Analysis Services (supported in Gov regions)
  • Migrate to Microsoft Fabric semantic models with Direct Lake (CSA-in-a-Box recommended path)
  • Multidimensional models require SSAS on Azure VM or refactoring to tabular
• SQL on VM: Full SSAS support for both tabular and multidimensional.

Filestream and FileTable¶

Problem: Database stores large binary files (documents, images) using FILESTREAM or FileTable.

Solution by target:

• Azure SQL DB: Not supported. Migrate files to Azure Blob Storage and store Blob URLs in the database. Use Azure Functions or application logic for file operations.
• Azure SQL MI: Not supported. Same remediation as SQL DB.
• SQL on VM: Full support. Direct migration.

-- Migration pattern: FILESTREAM to Azure Blob Storage
-- 1. Export files from FILESTREAM
-- 2. Upload to Azure Blob Storage
-- 3. Update table to store Blob URLs instead of FILESTREAM data

-- Before (FILESTREAM):
-- CREATE TABLE Documents (
--     DocId UNIQUEIDENTIFIER ROWGUIDCOL NOT NULL,
--     DocContent VARBINARY(MAX) FILESTREAM
-- );

-- After (Azure Blob Storage reference):
CREATE TABLE Documents (
    DocId UNIQUEIDENTIFIER NOT NULL DEFAULT NEWID(),
    DocBlobUrl NVARCHAR(500) NOT NULL,
    DocContentType NVARCHAR(100),
    DocSizeBytes BIGINT
);

Migration complexity by feature combination¶

Common on-premises configurations and their migration complexity:

Automation: Feature detection queries¶

Use these queries to automatically detect which features your databases use, helping classify each database to the right target:

-- Comprehensive feature usage detection
DECLARE @Features TABLE (Feature NVARCHAR(100), IsUsed BIT, Detail NVARCHAR(500));

-- CLR
INSERT @Features
SELECT 'CLR Assemblies', CASE WHEN COUNT(*) > 0 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END,
       STRING_AGG(name + ' (' + permission_set_desc + ')', ', ')
FROM sys.assemblies WHERE is_user_defined = 1;

-- Service Broker
INSERT @Features
SELECT 'Service Broker', is_broker_enabled, name
FROM sys.databases WHERE database_id = DB_ID();

-- Change Data Capture
INSERT @Features
SELECT 'CDC', is_cdc_enabled, name
FROM sys.databases WHERE database_id = DB_ID();

-- In-Memory OLTP
INSERT @Features
SELECT 'In-Memory OLTP',
       CASE WHEN COUNT(*) > 0 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END,
       CAST(COUNT(*) AS NVARCHAR) + ' memory-optimized tables'
FROM sys.tables WHERE is_memory_optimized = 1;

-- Temporal tables
INSERT @Features
SELECT 'Temporal Tables',
       CASE WHEN COUNT(*) > 0 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END,
       CAST(COUNT(*) AS NVARCHAR) + ' temporal tables'
FROM sys.tables WHERE temporal_type = 2;

-- Columnstore indexes
INSERT @Features
SELECT 'Columnstore Indexes',
       CASE WHEN COUNT(*) > 0 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END,
       CAST(COUNT(*) AS NVARCHAR) + ' columnstore indexes'
FROM sys.indexes WHERE type IN (5, 6);

-- Full-text search
INSERT @Features
SELECT 'Full-Text Search',
       CASE WHEN COUNT(*) > 0 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END,
       CAST(COUNT(*) AS NVARCHAR) + ' full-text indexes'
FROM sys.fulltext_indexes;

-- TDE
INSERT @Features
SELECT 'TDE', is_encrypted, name
FROM sys.databases WHERE database_id = DB_ID();

-- Always Encrypted
INSERT @Features
SELECT 'Always Encrypted',
       CASE WHEN COUNT(*) > 0 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END,
       CAST(COUNT(*) AS NVARCHAR) + ' encrypted columns'
FROM sys.columns WHERE encryption_type IS NOT NULL;

SELECT Feature, CASE WHEN IsUsed = 1 THEN 'YES' ELSE 'NO' END AS InUse, Detail
FROM @Features
ORDER BY IsUsed DESC, Feature;

Related¶

• Schema Migration
• Azure SQL DB Migration
• Azure SQL MI Migration
• SQL on VM Migration
• Migration Playbook

References¶

• Azure SQL Database features
• Azure SQL MI T-SQL differences
• SQL Server on Azure VM feature support
• Data Migration Assistant