Azure - 4

2026 (12)

March (12)

azure: Retirement: NP-series Azure Virtual Machines will be retired on May 31, 2027

Azure Updates

2026-03-19

Microsoft Azure will retire NP-series VM sizes Standard_NP10s, Standard_NP20s, and Standard_NP40s on May 31, 2027. Users should migrate workloads to alternative Azure GPU VM sizes before that date to avoid service disruption.

azure: Retirement: HC-series Azure Virtual Machines will be retired on May 31, 2027

Azure Updates

2026-03-19

Microsoft Azure will retire HC-series VM sizes Standard_HC44rs, Standard_HC44-16rs, and Standard_HC44-32rs on May 31, 2027. Users should plan to migrate to a current supported VM size before the retirement date.

azure: Retirement: HBv2-series Azure Virtual Machines will be retired on May 31, 2027

Azure Updates

2026-03-19

Microsoft Azure will retire HBv2-series VM sizes on May 31, 2027. The affected sizes are Standard_HB120rs_v2, Standard_HB120-96rs_v2, Standard_HB120-64rs_v2, Standard_HB120-32rs_v2, and Standard_HB120-16rs_v2.

azure: Retirement: Emissions Impact Dashboard for Azure

Azure Updates

2026-03-18

The Emissions Impact Dashboard for Azure, hosted by Power BI, will be retired on March 31, 2027. After that date, it will no longer be accessible and technical support will end.

azure: [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Red Hat OpenShift Managed Identity and Workload Identity

Azure Updates

2026-03-18

Azure Red Hat OpenShift now generally supports managed identities and workload identities. This lets clusters and applications run on Azure without long-lived service principal credentials.

azure: [Launched] General availability: Azure SQL updates for mid-March 2026

Azure Updates

2026-03-18

Azure SQL received mid-March 2026 updates including direct publishing of SQL database projects from Visual Studio Code and the ability to view and edit SQL table data directly in MSSQ.

azure: [Launched] Generally Available: GitHub Copilot in SQL Server Management Studio 22

Azure Updates

2026-03-18

GitHub Copilot is now generally available in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 22. It adds AI-powered assistance inside SSMS, including natural-language help to develop, explain, and fix SQL-related tasks.

azure: [In preview] Public Preview: SQL MCP Server

Azure Updates

2026-03-18

Azure announced a public preview of SQL MCP Server, an MCP connector for production databases. It is part of Data API Builder and is intended to provide a simple, predictable, and secure way to connect AI agents to data workflows.

azure: [In preview] Public preview: GitHub Copilot integration in Schema Designer for the MSSQL extension

Azure Updates

2026-03-18

The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code adds a public preview of GitHub Copilot integration in Schema Designer. This expands the visual schema design workflow with AI-assisted help based on developer feedback.

azure: [In preview] Public Preview: Database DevOps in SSMS powered by SQL projects

Azure Updates

2026-03-18

SQL Database Projects are now in public preview in SSMS, bringing schema-as-code workflows for database development. The preview supports source-controlled schemas, repeatable deployments, and code quality checks in the development process.

azure: [Launched] Generally Available: Versionless key support for transparent data encryption in Azure SQL Database

Azure Updates

2026-03-18

Azure SQL Database now supports versionless keys for transparent data encryption (TDE). This removes the need to reference a specific key version in Azure Key Vault or Managed HSM, simplifying customer-managed key setup and reducing maintenance.

azure: [Launched] Generally Available: Lakeflow Connect Free Tier now available in Azure Databricks

Azure Updates

2026-03-18

Azure Databricks has launched a Lakeflow Connect Free Tier in Azure Databricks. Each workspace gets 100 free DBUs per day for ingestion from SaaS applications and databases, which is described as supporting roughly 100 million records per workspace per day.