Microsoft held its first-ever SQLCon alongside FabCon this year, and the headline announcement was Database Hub - a unified management interface inside Microsoft Fabric that consolidates Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Arc-enabled SQL Server, and other Fabric services into a single pane of glass. It’s currently in limited/early access preview.
The pitch is straightforward: instead of jumping between portals to manage databases across on-premises, PaaS, and SaaS environments, you get one place. Microsoft plans to layer AI on top - agent-assisted monitoring, Copilot-driven performance analysis, and health insights. It’s a direct play against similar unified platforms from Databricks and Snowflake, both of which have been moving into transactional database territory.
<h2>SQL Server and Azure SQL updates</h2>
Beyond Database Hub, there was a lot of ground covered for SQL developers and DBAs:
<ul>
<li>GitHub Copilot in SSMS 22 is now generally available, offering T-SQL assistance inside SQL Server Management Studio</li>
<li>SDK-style SQL projects are coming to SSMS, matching what’s already available in VS Code</li>
<li>SQL Notebooks are now in preview via the MSSQL VS Code extension</li>
<li>Vector search got several improvements: iterative filtering, faster index performance, and DML support on vector tables</li>
<li>Azure SQL Hyperscale adds larger 160 and 192 vCore options, an MCP Server for AI agent connectivity, and improved vector indexing</li>
<li>Multi-instance registration support landed for the Azure VM SQL extension</li>
<li>A new SQL AI Developer certification is in beta</li>
<li>A savings plan for databases offers up to 35% cost reduction on a one-year commitment</li>
</ul>
<h2>SQL database in Fabric</h2>
The SQL database inside Fabric is being positioned as enterprise-ready, with SQL Auditing, Customer-Managed Keys, Dynamic Data Masking, and a Copilot-assisted Migration Assistant now available. Migration assistants for Azure Data Factory, Synapse Analytics, and Azure SQL are also in public preview.
<h2>Fabric platform updates</h2>
The broader Fabric platform announcements included:
<ul>
<li>OneLake mirroring expanded to SharePoint, Dremio, Oracle, SAP Datasphere, and Snowflake, with new shortcut transformations and Azure Databricks Unity Catalog interoperability</li>
<li>Fabric IQ introduces an MCP server for semantic ontologies and enterprise planning capabilities, plus a strategic NVIDIA partnership for Physical AI</li>
<li>Fabric data agents are now generally available</li>
<li>Developer tooling additions: Fabric local MCP (GA), remote MCP (preview), Git integration improvements, and open-source projects including Agent Skills for Fabric and Fabric Jumpstart</li>
</ul>
Microsoft says Fabric now serves over 31,000 customers. The next SQLCon is planned for Barcelona.

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Microsoft announced Database Hub at its first SQLCon event alongside FabCon — a unified management interface inside Microsoft Fabric that consolidates Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and other services into a single pane of glass, currently in limited preview. Additional updates include GitHub Copilot GA in SSMS 22, SQL Notebooks in preview, vector search improvements, Azure SQL Hyperscale scaling to 160/192 vCores with MCP server support, a new SQL AI Developer certification, and up to 35% cost savings plans. The SQL database in Fabric gains enterprise security features and migration assistants. Fabric platform-wide, OneLake mirroring expanded to Snowflake, Oracle, SAP, and others, Fabric data agents went GA, and Microsoft reported over 31,000 Fabric customers.

Microsoft launches Database Hub in Fabric to unify Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL, and more