Manage SQL Server with Azure Arc

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Manage SQL Server with Azure Arc

SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc offers a range of security, governance, and management capabilities. In this hands-on lab, you will deploy an evaluation edition of SQL Server and onboard it to Azure Arc. Once onboarded, you will configure automatic updates, set up Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) licensing, and perform an edition upgrade.

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Lab Info

Level

Intermediate

Last updated

Sep 23, 2025

Duration

45m

Challenge

Generate Combined Windows and SQL Instance Onboarding Script
1. Generate a Windows onboarding script for Azure Arc machines, ensuring SQL Server instances are included as part of the onboarding process.
Challenge

Onboard Windows Server and SQL Server Instances into Azure Arc
1. Use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to connect to SQLVM1 and execute the onboarding script using Windows PowerShell.
2. When prompted for credentials by the script, use the Azure portal credentials from the lab details.
Challenge

Manage SQL Server Licensing and Updates
1. Wait for the Provisioning state of the SQL Server Instance to be Provisioning state : Succeeded.
  
  Note: It may take up to 10 minutes for the Provisioning state to update. You can ignore any messages about connectivity, this issue will automatically resolved.
2. In the Azure portal, configure the SQL Instance:
  
  Enable Pay-as-you-go licensing.
  
  Enable scheduled automatic Updates.
Challenge

Review Configuration
1. Optionally review the SQL Server Instance configuration from the Data services blade in the Azure portal:
  
  License type should be set to Pay-as-you-go.
  
  Automated updates should be Enabled.
Challenge

Perform SQL Server Edition Upgrade
1. Connect to the Windows virtual machine SQLVM1 using Remote Desktop and perform a SQL Server Edition upgrade to Standard, using pay-as-you-go billing through Microsoft Azure.
  
  Note: In a corporate environment where your Windows PC is domain-joined, you may need to prefix the username with .\ when connecting via a remote desktop client (e.g., .\cloud_user).
2. The Setup executable is located in the following directory: C:\SQL2022\Evaluation_ENU.

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