Strahinja Rodic

This session will guide you through the journey of evolving your DBA role from managing on-premises SQL Server databases to becoming Azure SQL DBA in the era of AI. You will learn which responsibilities to retain, which to share with Microsoft, and how to use the freed up time to build cloud and AI skills. We will cover Azure SQL architecture across key areas such as high availability, BCDR, backup and restore, performance, monitoring, security, compliance, and connectivity, and map them directly to traditional SQL Server DBA responsibilities. You will also learn how to leverage Copilot and AI tools in Azure, SSMS, and Azure Arc, and how Azure services like Fabric and Microsoft Copilot for Azure AI can significantly boost DBA productivity.

Learn best practices for Azure SQL Database backup configuration and ransomware protection. Explore PITR and LTR strategies, backup immutability, and deletion safeguards to ensure compliance and resilience. Gain actionable insights to secure data, prevent tampering, and maintain business continuity.

Discover the most developer-focused SQL Server release in a decade! Explore new capabilities like JSON and Vector data types, advanced functions and indexing, Change Event Streams, improvement to query optimizer, plus powerful string functions like regular expression and string similarity search. Better integrate compute with data for improved efficiency and scalability of your solutions.

Future applications will combine intuitive UI with powerful AI interactions, enabling AI agents to on our behalf for the best experience. At the heart of this transformation is AI Foundry. In this session, we’ll explore how to integrate AI Foundry with Azure SQL, from architecture deep dive through security considerations, to give you the best knowledge to bring your solutions to the next level.