Glossary
Search Azure terms
Open a clear definition, then continue into exam context, architecture, commands, operational examples, common mistakes, and related concepts.
Search all
Commands
Learning guides
Concept graph
Compare
Search-first Azure knowledge base
Term results
Search for a term or click a category. Results render only after you ask for them, so the glossary does not dump every available term on first load. Each result includes Quick peek and Open full term page actions.
Start with a search or a category.
Try managed identity , resource group , az group , private endpoint , or click Databases to load all database-related terms.
Showing 50 of 837 matching terms. Narrow the search to reduce the list.
Databases
complete
SQL Query Store
Microsoft Learn describes Query Store as a SQL feature that captures a history of queries, execution plans, and runtime statistics for review. It helps troubleshoot performance changes, especially regressions caused by plan changes, and is available across SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and related SQL platforms.
SQL performance monitoring
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Query Store, Azure SQL Query Store, SQL Server Query Store, query performance history
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
complete
SQL performance recommendation
Microsoft Learn describes Azure SQL performance recommendations as portal guidance generated from database workload analysis. Recommendations identify changes such as creating indexes, dropping duplicate indexes, or adjusting schema patterns that could improve performance or correct workload-specific issues, and administrators can review, apply, or script actions.
Azure SQL performance tuning
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL performance recommendation, Database advisor recommendation, SQL tuning recommendation, Azure SQL advisor recommendation
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL automatic tuning
Azure SQL automatic tuning monitors query performance and can apply tuning actions such as plan correction and index recommendations.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL automatic tuning, Azure SQL tuning recommendations, SQL automatic tuning, automatic tuning
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL Business Critical tier
Azure SQL Business Critical tier is a vCore service tier for OLTP workloads that need high transaction rates, low-latency I/O, and high resilience through isolated replicas.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL Business Critical tier, Business Critical tier, BusinessCritical, Premium-like vCore tier, SQL Business Critical
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL elastic pool
Azure SQL elastic pool lets multiple Azure SQL databases on one logical server share a set of resources at a set price for variable usage patterns.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL elastic pool, SQL elastic pool, eDTU pool, elastic pool, pooled databases
Quick peek
Open full term page
Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Databricks SQL warehouse
A Databricks SQL compute resource for interactive queries, dashboards, BI tools, and governed analytics workloads.
Databricks
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: SQL warehouse, Databricks SQL compute, serverless SQL warehouse
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL active geo-replication
Azure SQL active geo-replication creates readable secondary databases in other regions for database-level disaster recovery and failover.
Azure SQL Database
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL active geo-replication, SQL geo-replication, active geo-replication, geo-secondary database
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL auditing
Azure SQL auditing tracks database events and writes audit logs to supported destinations such as storage, Log Analytics, or Event Hubs.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL audit logs, Azure SQL auditing, SQL auditing, database auditing
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL automated backup
Azure SQL automated backup automatically protects databases and supports point-in-time restore using service-managed backup chains.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL automated backup, Azure SQL automatic backups, SQL automated backups, point-in-time restore backups
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Database is a fully managed relational database service in Azure that provides SQL Server-compatible engines as single databases, elastic pools, and serverless or provisioned compute choices. Microsoft Learn presents it as platform as a service with built-in availability, backups, patching, scaling, and security integration.
Database
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL DB, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL pooled database, Azure SQL single database, SQL Database
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL database copy
Azure SQL database copy creates a transactionally consistent copy of an Azure SQL Database using portal, PowerShell, Azure CLI, or Transact-SQL.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL copy, Azure SQL database copy, CREATE DATABASE AS COPY OF, SQL database copy, database copy
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL Database DTU model
Azure SQL Database DTU model is a purchasing model that bundles compute, storage, and I/O resources into Database Transaction Units for Basic, Standard, and Premium tiers.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL Database DTU model, DTU model, DTU-based purchasing model, Database Transaction Unit, eDTU
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL elastic job
Azure SQL elastic jobs schedule and run Transact-SQL scripts across one or many Azure SQL databases, including target groups across servers, pools, and subscriptions.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure Elastic Jobs, Azure SQL elastic job, SQL elastic job agent, elastic job agent, elastic jobs
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL General Purpose tier
Azure SQL General Purpose tier is a vCore service tier for common workloads that need balanced compute and storage at budget-oriented pricing.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL General Purpose tier, GP tier, General Purpose tier, GeneralPurpose, SQL General Purpose
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL geo-restore
Azure SQL geo-restore uses geo-replicated backups to restore a database to any logical server in any Azure region when primary-region access is unavailable.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL geo-restore, SQL geo restore, geo-replicated backup restore, geo-restore, regional backup restore
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Serverless SQL database
A serverless SQL database is an Azure SQL Database single database configured with the serverless compute model. It automatically scales compute within configured limits, can auto-pause in supported tiers, resumes on activity, and keeps the managed SQL Database platform features such as backups, patching, monitoring, and security.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
Quick peek
Open full term page
Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Synapse SQL CETAS
Synapse SQL CETAS means CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE AS SELECT. It creates external table metadata and exports the result of a T-SQL SELECT statement in parallel to files in Azure Storage or Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 for later SQL or lake consumption.
Synapse Analytics
fundamentals
6 commands
Aliases: CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE AS SELECT, CETAS, Synapse CETAS, serverless SQL CETAS
Quick peek
Open full term page
Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Synapse SQL external table
A Synapse SQL external table is database metadata that lets Synapse SQL query files stored outside the database, usually in Azure Storage or ADLS Gen2. It references an external data source, file format, and file location for governed SQL analytics.
Synapse Analytics
fundamentals
6 commands
Aliases: external table in Synapse, Synapse external table, SQL external table, external table over lake files
Quick peek
Open full term page
Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Synapse SQL on-demand
Synapse SQL on-demand is the serverless SQL pool model in Azure Synapse Analytics. It lets teams run T-SQL queries over data in the lake without provisioning dedicated warehouse capacity, storing only metadata objects while using external data sources, views, functions, and security objects.
Synapse Analytics
fundamentals
6 commands
Aliases: SQL on-demand, Synapse serverless SQL, serverless SQL in Synapse, built-in serverless SQL pool
Quick peek
Open full term page
AI and Machine Learning
premium
Abuse monitoring
Abuse monitoring is the safety layer that looks for harmful or policy-violating use of AI services. It is not a performance feature; it exists to help detect misuse, protect the service, and support responsible operation of model deployments.
Azure OpenAI
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL Query Store
Find the exact query plan regression that appeared after an application deployment or database compatibility-level change.; Compare normal and incident windows before deciding whether a SKU scale-up is justified.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
4 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL Query Store
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL service objective
An Azure SQL service objective is the named performance level or SKU selected for an Azure SQL Database or elastic pool, defining resource limits, capabilities, and price within the chosen purchasing model.
Azure SQL Database
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL vCore model
The Azure SQL vCore purchasing model lets customers independently choose compute, storage, service tier, and hardware configuration for Azure SQL Database workloads.
Azure SQL Database
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
Quick peek
Open full term page
Analytics
premium
Data Factory monitoring
The operational view of Data Factory pipeline runs, activity runs, trigger history, integration runtime health, metrics, logs, and alerts.
Data integration and orchestration
Intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: Data Factory monitoring, ADF monitoring, data factory monitoring
Quick peek
Open full term page
Analytics
premium
Dedicated SQL pool DWU
A data warehouse unit setting that controls performance for a dedicated SQL pool.
Analytics platform
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: DWU
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Microsoft Entra admin for SQL
Microsoft Entra admin for SQL is the Microsoft Entra identity designated to administer an Azure SQL logical server or SQL Managed Instance through Entra authentication. Teams should manage it with clear ownership, monitoring, rollback evidence, and production change discipline.
Azure SQL identity
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL Entra admin, Azure AD admin for SQL, SQL Entra administrator
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Microsoft Entra authentication for SQL
Microsoft Entra authentication for SQL is the use of Microsoft Entra identities to authenticate to Azure SQL Database, SQL Managed Instance, or related SQL resources. Teams should manage it with clear ownership, monitoring, rollback evidence, and production change discipline.
Azure SQL identity
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL Entra authentication, Azure AD authentication for SQL, SQL Entra auth
Quick peek
Open full term page
Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Synapse SQL script
A Synapse SQL script is a saved T-SQL authoring artifact in Synapse Studio. Users create or import scripts in the Develop hub, connect them to a dedicated or serverless SQL pool, run queries, review tabular results, export output, and organize scripts into folders.
Synapse Analytics
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: SQL script in Synapse, Synapse Studio SQL script, T-SQL script artifact, Synapse query script
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL tempdb
Azure SQL tempdb refers to the SQL engine temporary workspace used for temporary tables, table variables, internal worktables, sorting, version store activity, and other transient database operations.
Azure SQL Database
intermediate
3 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL logical server
An Azure SQL logical server is a logical administrative construct for Azure SQL Database and related SQL resources. Microsoft Learn describes it as the central point for managing a collection of databases, including logins, firewall rules, auditing, threat detection policies, and failover groups.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
16 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
Quick peek
Open full term page
Analytics
top-250-pre130-priority-upgraded
Dedicated SQL pool
Dedicated SQL pool is a provisioned massively parallel processing data warehouse resource in Azure Synapse Analytics used for relational analytical queries at a selected DWU level in Azure.
Analytics platform
fundamentals
7 commands
Aliases: Dedicated SQL pool
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
complete
SQL automatic tuning
Microsoft Learn describes automatic tuning for Azure SQL as a managed performance capability that continuously monitors database queries, creates tuning recommendations, and can automatically apply corrective actions. It uses Query Store signals, verifies the impact of changes, and can revert actions that do not improve workload performance.
Azure SQL
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: automatic tuning, Azure SQL automatic tuning, SQL auto tuning, automatic database tuning
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
complete
SQL Agent on Managed Instance
Microsoft Learn explains that SQL Server Agent executes SQL Agent jobs for task automation in Azure SQL Managed Instance. A job is a specified series of T-SQL scripts against a database, used to run administrative tasks one or more times and monitor success or failure.
Azure SQL Managed Instance
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: SQL Agent on Managed Instance, sql agent on managed instance, sql-agent-on-managed-instance
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
complete
SQL elastic pool DTU
SQL elastic pool DTU means an Azure SQL elastic pool sized with the DTU purchasing model.
Data platform
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: DTU elastic pool, Azure SQL DTU pool, eDTU pool, SQL elastic pool using DTUs
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
complete
SQL elastic pool vCore
SQL elastic pool vCore means an Azure SQL elastic pool sized with the vCore purchasing model.
Data platform
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: vCore elastic pool, Azure SQL vCore pool, SQL elastic pool using vCores, shared vCore pool
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
complete
SQL failover group
Microsoft Learn describes Azure SQL failover groups as a feature for managing replication and coordinated failover of selected databases from one logical server to another server in a different region. They build on active geo-replication and provide listener endpoints, failover policy, and recovery governance for planned and emergency recovery.
Azure SQL
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: auto-failover group, Azure SQL failover group, SQL Database failover group, failover group listener
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
complete
SQL managed instance link
Microsoft Learn describes the Managed Instance link as near real-time data replication between SQL Server and Azure SQL Managed Instance, enabling hybrid flexibility, database mobility, read-only workload offload, analytics in Azure, disaster recovery patterns, and migrations with planned or forced failover.
SQL Managed Instance
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Managed Instance link, SQL MI link, Azure SQL MI link, MI link
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
complete
SQL Managed Instance public endpoint
Microsoft Learn explains that Azure SQL Managed Instance can provide user connectivity through a public endpoint, but the configuration must be secured with network controls, port 3342 access rules, strong authentication, and careful operational review before production use. Always. Carefully. under explicit governance.
SQL Managed Instance
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: SQL MI public endpoint, Azure SQL MI public data endpoint, managed instance public data endpoint
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
complete
SQL Managed Instance service tier
Microsoft Learn describes SQL Managed Instance service tiers as purchasing-model choices, such as General Purpose, Next-gen General Purpose, and Business Critical, that define architecture, storage limits, availability behavior, performance characteristics, and billing for a managed instance. Review it using workload evidence. for production database workloads.
SQL Managed Instance
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: SQL MI service tier, Azure SQL MI tier, managed instance tier, SQL Managed Instance SKU tier
Quick peek
Open full term page
Analytics
complete
SQL pool DWU
Microsoft Learn describes Data Warehouse Units as the performance-level measure for dedicated SQL pool in Azure Synapse Analytics. DWUs, including compute-optimized cDWU levels, represent the blended compute, memory, and IO capacity available to the distributed data warehouse and can be changed to balance price and performance.
Azure Synapse dedicated SQL pool
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Data warehouse unit, DWU for dedicated SQL pool, cDWU, Synapse SQL pool performance level
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
complete
SQL read scale-out
Microsoft Learn describes SQL read scale-out as a feature that routes read-only workloads to read-only replicas instead of the primary read-write replica. It is available for Premium, Business Critical, and certain Hyperscale configurations, using ApplicationIntent=ReadOnly to separate reporting or analytics reads from writes.
Azure SQL performance and availability
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL read scale-out, read-only replica routing, ApplicationIntent ReadOnly, SQL Database read replicas
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
complete
SQL threat detection
Microsoft Learn describes SQL threat detection, through Advanced Threat Protection in Microsoft Defender for SQL, as detecting anomalous and potentially harmful attempts to access or exploit databases. It can alert on suspicious database activity, possible vulnerabilities, SQL injection, unusual access, and abnormal query patterns.
Azure SQL security monitoring
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Advanced Threat Protection for SQL, Microsoft Defender for SQL alerts, Azure SQL Advanced Threat Protection, SQL security alerts
Quick peek
Open full term page
AI and Machine Learning
field-manual-ready
Model monitoring
Model monitoring watches deployed models for changes in inputs, outputs, quality, latency, errors, cost, and operational health.
Azure Machine Learning
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: ML model monitoring, model monitor, model monitoring, Azure Machine Learning monitoring, data drift
Quick peek
Open full term page
Analytics
premium
Synapse SQL
Synapse SQL is the T-SQL analytics capability in Azure Synapse Analytics. It includes dedicated SQL pools for provisioned warehousing and serverless SQL pools for on-demand lake queries, letting teams analyze structured and semi-structured data through familiar SQL endpoints inside a Synapse workspace.
Synapse Analytics
intermediate
7 commands
Aliases: Synapse SQL engine, Azure Synapse SQL, Synapse serverless and dedicated SQL, SQL analytics in Synapse
Quick peek
Open full term page
Analytics
premium
Synapse SQL administrator
A Synapse SQL administrator is the Synapse RBAC role focused on serverless SQL access and SQL artifacts. It grants broad serverless SQL pool permissions plus create, read, update, and delete access to published SQL scripts, credentials, and linked services within a workspace.
Synapse Analytics
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: Synapse SQL Administrator, Synapse SQL admin, SQL administrator in Synapse, Synapse SQL admin role
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL failover group
Provide a stable listener endpoint for applications that must survive an Azure SQL regional failover.; Coordinate failover for several related user databases instead of managing each geo-replica separately.
Azure SQL Database
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL failover group, SQL failover group, auto-failover group, failover group, geo-failover group
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL hyperscale
Azure SQL Database Hyperscale is a service tier built for very large databases, fast storage scaling, rapid backups and restores, and high throughput. Microsoft Learn describes its distinct architecture, including separated compute and storage, page servers, log service, and optional replicas.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL ledger
A database capability or setting in Azure SQL Database that helps teams store, query, scale, secure, and recover application data with clearer ownership, safety, and operational context.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL long-term retention
A database capability or setting in Azure SQL Database that helps teams store, query, scale, secure, and recover application data with clearer ownership, safety, and operational context.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
Quick peek
Open full term page
Databases
premium
Azure SQL maintenance window
A database capability or setting in Azure SQL Database that helps teams store, query, scale, secure, and recover application data with clearer ownership, safety, and operational context.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
Quick peek
Open full term page
No glossary terms matched that search.
Try a service name, acronym, command group, or category such as RBAC , az group , App Service , Application Insights , Databases , or Azure AI Search .
Clear filters and show matches
Reset search