Microsoft Fabric Blog, co-authored by Idris Motiwala, announces the general availability of SQL Database in Fabric. The article outlines key technical features and integration points for developers, data engineers, and security professionals.

Announcing SQL Database in Fabric (Generally Available)

Co-authored by: Idris Motiwala

Microsoft is unifying the SQL experience across on-premises, cloud, and SaaS. The release of SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric is now generally available, marking a significant milestone in operational and analytical data management for AI-powered applications.

Unified Platform: Built on Trusted SQL Engines

Based on SQL Server and Azure SQL Database engine
First fully SaaS-native operational database in Fabric
Rapid provisioning and Copilot-powered editor for simplicity
Native T-SQL support, integration with SSMS and VS Code
Direct querying and ingestion from OneLake, supporting CSV, Parquet, and JSON
Seamless CI/CD integration with GitHub and Azure DevOps
Near real-time replication to Microsoft OneLake and unified analytics endpoints
Performance dashboards for monitoring resources and queries

Security and Compliance Features

Autonomous, serverless architecture with auto-scaling and high availability
Comprehensive security: Microsoft Entra authentication, workspace roles, SQL permissions, network security, data encryption
Integration with Microsoft Purview for governance
New security features in preview:
- SQL Auditing for compliance (HIPAA, SOX), threat investigation, permission monitoring
- Customer Managed Keys (CMK) using Azure Key Vault for enhanced encryption
Transparent disaster recovery and resilience
Usage monitoring and optimization with Fabric Capacity Metrics App and Azure Cost Analysis

AI and Data Analytics Integration

Native support for vector data and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) patterns
Enables semantic search and generative AI scenarios
Integrated with Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Foundry, LangChain, and Semantic Kernel
Sample repositories for agentic AI apps and RAG pipelines

Customer Use Cases

Operational Data Store for real-time reporting and analytics
Event-driven applications with streaming data
Custom business apps combining Power Apps, SQL, and Power BI for embedded analytics
Automated ingestion and transformation pipelines
Advanced AI applications using built-in vectors and external endpoints
Operational writebacks via Power BI
Reference Data Store for master data consistency

Getting Started

Access tutorials, documentation, and sample projects online
Watch the SQL Database in Fabric playlist on YouTube for features covering AI App Dev, Copilot, Data virtualization, Notebooks, Backup/restore, and more
Join forums, review roadmap, and participate in events like Microsoft Ignite and SQLCon

Useful Links

Official SQL Database in Fabric documentation: Learn More
Video playlist: YouTube
Agentic app sample: GitHub
RAG pipeline sample: Awesome Azure SQL
Community forums: Fabric Forums
Security documentation: SQL Auditing, CMK

The general availability of SQL Database in Fabric delivers a modern, SaaS-native, AI-ready database for scalable multi-modal data workloads, powerful analytics, and secure management. Developers, data engineers, and IT professionals can accelerate solution development and activate their data with robust tooling and deep Microsoft ecosystem integration.

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