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We are excited to announce the addition of Azure SQL Database Elastic Pools (Elastic Pools) SKU recommendation in Azure Data Migration Service (DMS) automation tools.

What has changed

As part of our ongoing efforts to simplify and optimize the migration of on-premises SQL Server databases to Azure, we have now added the ability to recommend Azure SQL Elastic Pools for Azure SQL Database targets. This new feature is available through both Azure PowerShell and Azure CLI, making it easier than ever to leverage the cost benefits and scalability of Elastic Pools.

Why This Matters

Elastic Pools offer a cost-effective solution for managing and scaling multiple databases with varying and unpredictable usage demands. By sharing a set number of resources across multiple databases, Elastic Pools help you optimize resource utilization and reduce costs compared to provisioning standalone databases. This is particularly beneficial for scenarios where database usage patterns are unpredictable, allowing you to handle spikes in demand without overprovisioning resources.

Key Benefits of Elastic Pools

1. Cost Savings: Elastic Pools provide significant cost savings by allowing multiple databases to share resources. This eliminates the need to overprovision resources for individual databases, leading to more efficient resource utilization and lower costs.
   2. Scalability: Elastic Pools share resources ensuring that your databases get the performance they need when they need it. This provides all the benefits of scaling on demand.
   3. Simplified Management: Managing resources for a pool rather than individual databases simplifies your management tasks and provides a predictable budget for the pool.

No Changes Needed to Command Line

One of the best parts of this new feature is that there are no changes needed to the command line for the `Get-AzDataMigrationSkuRecommendation` and `get-sku-recommendation` commands. You can continue using these commands as you always have, and the tool will now include recommendations for Elastic Pools where appropriate.

How to Use the Command

To get started with the new Elastic Pool recommendations, simply run the `Get-AzDataMigrationSkuRecommendation` command in Azure PowerShell or the `get-sku-recommendation` command in Azure CLI. Here’s a quick guide on how to run the command and review the output:

Azure PowerShell:

# Run SKU Recommendation Get-AzDataMigrationSkuRecommendation -OutputFolder “C:Output” -DisplayResult -Overwrite

Azure CLI:

# Run SKU Recommendation az datamigration get-sku-recommendation –output-folder “C:Output” –display-result –overwrite

 

Reviewing the Output JSON File

The output of the SKU recommendation will be saved in a JSON file in the specified output folder. This file will include detailed recommendations for Azure SQL Database SKUs, including 1 or more Elastic Pools as needed to accommodate the databases in the SQL Server instance. Here’s what to look for in the JSON file:
– ResourceType: Indicates whether the recommendation is for a SingleDatabase or ElasticPool.
– PoolCount: The total number of Elastic Pools of the given configuration recommended.
– ElasticPoolMemberDatabases: Lists the databases that are recommended to be included in the pool.

 

 

Conclusion

We believe that the addition of Elastic Pool recommendations to our DMS automation tools will provide significant cost savings while improving scalability, and simplifying management, making it easier than ever to migrate to Azure SQL Database.

Next Steps

We encourage you to try out this new feature and let us know your feedback. For more information:

• Review our Azure SQL Database Elastic Pools documentation.


• Review DMS automation module Az.DataMigration in Azure Powershell. 


• Review DMS automation commands in module az datamigration in Azure CLI.


• Review the samples documented in the Data Migration Sample Repository.

 

Thank you for your continued support and happy migrating!