Question

What is the best way to migrate data from an on-premise database to Azure?

Answer 1

To move data from existing on-premises SQL Server to Azure SQL database, Azure provides the following options:

1. SQL Server Stretch Database: It moves some of the data from SQL Server 2016 to Azure. It can identify the cold rows that are accessed infrequently by users to move them to the cloud. This results in quicker backups for the on-premises database.
2. Azure SQL Database: It is suitable for organisations that want to go ahead with a cloud-only strategy to move the whole database to Azure.
3. SQL Server Managed Instance: It support configurations support on Azure Database as a Service (DBaaS). Microsoft takes care of the Database maintenance, and the database is almost 100% compatible with on-premises SQL Server.
4. SQL Server on a Virtual Machine: It is a suitable option for a customer who wants complete control over database management and maintenance. It ensures 100% compatibility with the existing on-premises instance.
5. Also, Microsoft provides a tool called Data Migration Assistant that can help customers identify suitable options based on the customers’ existing on-premises SQL Server setup.