Kendra Little gives us the lowdown:
Spoiler: a large amount of features from SQL Server 2022 are missing from Azure SQL Managed Instance. Some major features are missing that were introduced in SQL Server 2019– and here we are just a few weeks away from 2024.
But Microsoft’s top-line marketing claims about Azure SQL Managed Instance remain that “it’s always up to date with the latest SQL features and functionality.”
Let’s dig into some of the documented highlights on missing features, so you can decide for yourself what to think of that statement.
Read on for Kendra’s take. I agree with the overall argument: Managed Instance is an expensive service intended to serve as a SQL Server replacement. But there’s still a lot missing from the product and it still feels like it’s smarter simply to build a VM running SQL Server rather than play the Managed Instance game. Azure SQL DB I extend a bit more grace toward, as its intent is a bit different from the SQL Server box product or Managed Instance.