Key Announcements from Microsoft Ignite Regarding Azure Databases
During the Ignite conference today, Microsoft made significant strides in its Azure database offerings. The company introduced HorizonDB, a new fully managed PostgreSQL database service, designed to enhance the experience for developers and data professionals alike. In addition, the tech giant announced the general availability of SQL Server 2025, along with updates to Fabric databases and a rebranded DocumentDB.
SQL Server 2025: Enhancements and Features
Initially presented in a private preview in late 2024 and later in a public preview during Build 2025, SQL Server 2025 is now officially available. This latest version focuses on improving security, performance, and availability, while integrating advanced AI capabilities. Key features include:
- Support for native vector data types with half-precision floats to better facilitate embedding workloads.
- Approximate vector indexes, such as DiskANN-based solutions, allowing for rapid similarity searches directly within the engine.
- An innovative Copilot feature in SQL Server Management Studio that assists users with natural-language queries.
- Enhanced JSON capabilities, including a native JSON data type and indexing, along with support for array and object operations in T-SQL.
- Improved management of AI models through built-in definitions in T-SQL, enabling compatibility with Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, Ollama, and more.
Rebranding of Azure Cosmos DB
Microsoft is also announcing the rebranding of its fully managed MongoDB-compatible database service to Azure DocumentDB. It is based on the open-source DocumentDB standard and aims to streamline the development of modern applications. Azure DocumentDB boasts features such as:
- AI-ready vector and hybrid search capabilities.
- Instant autoscale functionality.
- Independent scaling for computing and storage resources.
- A service-level agreement (SLA) that promises up to 99.995% availability and free backups for up to 35 days.
Introduction of Fabric Databases
Another noteworthy announcement from Microsoft today is the general availability of Fabric databases. This development allows SQL databases and Cosmos DB to function within Microsoft Fabric as a unified Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. It facilitates seamless real-time analytics, transactional processing, and concurrent AI workloads within a governed environment.
For businesses looking to retain their operational databases, the new database mirroring feature in Fabric is now available. This feature provides support for SQL Server, Azure Cosmos DB, and Azure Database for PostgreSQL, allowing companies to maintain their databases at their current locations.
For further details and images from the event, visit this source.
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