Migrating and modernizing SQL Server to Azure in the era of AI does not need to be complex or fragmented. In this session, we present a practical, end-to-end approach to SQL Server modernization using SQL Server 2025 and Azure SQL, spanning SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and Azure SQL Database Hyperscale.

You will learn how to modernize your SQL Server estate to take full advantage of cloud scalability and elasticity, while also understanding how to AI‑modernize applications on Azure SQL.

We will walk through a complete migration journey, starting with database migration assessment using familiar tools such as SSMS and Azure Arc. From there, we cover target platform and SKU recommendations and conclude with near zero downtime migration to Azure SQL services. You will see how existing tools and migration options come together in a single, unified experience that reduces prerequisites, simplifies decision making, and accelerates modernization using a hybrid-first approach.

Once in Azure, we demonstrate how to further modernize workloads using AI and advanced cloud capabilities, including scaling and evolving applications with Azure SQL Hyperscale.

Join this session to engage directly with the product group behind these technologies, ask questions, share feedback, and learn about what is coming next on the product roadmap.