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SQL Data Sync retirement: Migrate to alternative solutions

Applies to: Azure SQL Database

SQL Data Sync will be retired on 30 September 2027. By then, consider migrating to alternatives data replication/synchronization solutions. This article details alternative solutions to migrate your data synchronization options.

Alternatives to SQL Data Sync

The right solution depends on your individual use case. We'll detail the alternative solutions including Azure Data Factory, Azure Functions, read replicas or SQL features like linked server, mirroring, Always On availability groups, or transactional replication.

SQL Data Sync is a service built on Azure SQL Database that lets you synchronize the data you select bi-directionally across multiple databases, both on premises and in the cloud. The three main scenarios for SQL Data Sync are:

  • Hybrid data synchronization: You use SQL Data Sync to synchronize databases in SQL Server and Azure SQL Database.
  • Distributed applications: You use SQL Data Sync to separate the workload across different databases for reporting purposes.
  • Globally-distributed applications: You use SQL Data Sync to synchronize data across different countries and regions.

The alternatives to replace SQL Data Sync depend on the scenario and platforms. Different use cases and platforms have different alternatives.

Hybrid data synchronization

This scenario is most used to synchronize data from a SQL Server instance (on-premises or Azure Virtual Machine) to Azure SQL Database or Azure SQL Managed Instance. The possible migration paths are:

Distributed Applications

This scenario focuses on duplicating data to another environment for reading purposes, most predominantly on Azure SQL Database or Azure SQL Managed Instance. The possible migration paths are:

Globally distributed applications

This scenario synchronizes data across different regions for reading purposes. Most used on Azure SQL Database.

Other alternatives to consider

Migration by platform

Consider the following synchronization solutions by platform.

Source Destination    
SQL Server Azure SQL Managed Instance* Azure SQL Database
SQL Server Always On availability groups
Azure Data Factory
Transactional replication
Linked server
Always On availability groups
Azure Data Factory
Transactional replication
Linked server
Azure Data Factory
Azure Functions
Transactional replication
Azure SQL Managed Instance* Always On availability groups
Azure Data Factory
Transactional replication
Linked server
Always On availability groups
Azure Data Factory
Transactional replication
Linked server
Read replicas
Azure Data Factory
Azure Functions
Transactional replication
Azure SQL Database Azure Data Factory
Transactional replication
Azure Data Factory
Transactional replication
Linked Server
Azure Data Factory
Azure Functions
Active geo-replication
Copy Database

* SQL Data Sync does not support Azure SQL Managed Instance.