Database Offerings 2024: Overview and Roadmap

• Microsoft offers many database products and services, and customers need to narrow the broad field of options to choose the optimal solution.
• SQL Server skills remain important as the technology has spread into Azure.
• Data lake offerings, such as the new Fabric OneLake, provide options that address large-scale, global demands for storage of unstructured data.
• Open-source SQL-based database services (PostgreSQL and MySQL) provide lower-cost options and access most Azure services.
• Azure on-premises options address latency, security, and data residency issues of using the technology in the cloud.
• Specialized services, such as Dataverse and Azure Confidential Ledger, speed development in specific scenarios compared to general-purpose database services.
• Most offerings continue to receive investment, although customers should be aware of upcoming retirements.

Microsoft’s database management landscape includes a combination of proprietary and open-source products that store and manage a variety of data types. By understanding which technologies Microsoft emphasizes, the data types and workloads each supports, and the roadmap for each, organizations can choose the best offerings for their needs and design optimal database architectures.