Understanding Azure database options
Microsoft has two core database options – Azure SQL, and Azure Cosmos DB – both of which lend themselves to structured or semi-structured data, respectively. Azure SQL has a range of different options. We will consider these first.
Azure SQL
Azure provides three different options for running SQL – a traditional SQL server running on a VM, Azure SQL, and Azure SQL Managed Instance.
The core differences between these three platforms are around how they are managed, and of course how much they cost. Azure SQL on a VM is the most traditional option, and there are specific Azure marketplace images for Windows and Linux that include the cost of the SQL license. If you already have a license, you can still use the marketplace image and apply that license to get a discount, or you can install SQL on a standard VM image.
Azure SQL sits at the opposite end of the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) – Platform-as-a-Service...
