Migrates a local SQL Server setup to Azure SQL Developer for Azure-faithful local development. Use when a project already uses mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server, mssql/server, an sqlcmd plus SA password docker setup, a "SQL Server in docker" or "local mssql container", or a docker-compose with the mssql/server image; and use when the user asks for "SQL Server locally", "run mssql in Docker", "spin up a local SQL database", or "test against SQL Server" but actually wants the Azure SQL Database engine (EngineEdition 5). Detects the SQL Server image, rewrites it to Azure SQL Developer, adds --platform on non-x64 hosts, keeps the SA login, flags SQL Server-only features (SQL Agent, FILESTREAM, full Service Broker, cross-server distributed transactions, Windows Auth), and re-points connection strings from master to a provisioned user database.
SKILL.md
Migrate from the SQL Server image to the Azure SQL Database container
This skill converts an existing local SQL Server setup (the SQL Server image
mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server) into the Azure SQL Database container so
local dev matches Azure SQL Database behavior. The two are not the same engine:
master for provisioning only; user DB for work; a user-database session returns Msg 40508 on USE, exactly as in the cloud; a master connection is a provisioning session where the filter is not enforced
If a project is using the SQL Server image but wants Azure-faithful local dev, This skill is self-contained;
for full container detail see the skill.
Installs
0
stop
and switch to the container.
azuresql-db-container
When to use
The project Dockerfile, compose file, or run script references
mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server or mssql/server.
There is an sqlcmd plus SA password setup, or someone says "SQL Server in
Docker" / "a local mssql container".
The user asks for "SQL Server locally" but actually targets Azure SQL Database.
Migration steps
1. Detect SQL Server usage
Search the repo for the SQL Server image and the patterns that move with it:
Anything that hits is a candidate for rewrite below.
2. Sign in to the preview registry
The image is in a private preview registry; sign in once with the shared
pull-only credentials provided when you sign up at https://aka.ms/sqldbcontainerpreview-signup (they may
be rotated during the preview):
Registry and tag are provisional during Private Preview.
3. Rewrite the image and add --platform
Replace the SQL Server image with the Azure SQL Database image. The Azure image is x64
only, so on a non-x64 host add --platform linux/amd64
(Docker) or platform: linux/amd64 (compose).
Keep ACCEPT_EULA=Y, keep the complex MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD, keep the SA login,
keep port 1433. See references/migrate-compose.md for a before/after compose.
4. Start the container and provision appdb first
The engine does not auto-create databases on connect, and it is not
ready the instant docker run returns. Use the canonical start recipe: it picks
a free host port, adds --platform only on non-x64 hosts, waits for readiness
with a retry loop, and provisions appdb inside that same loop. The -b -l 2
flags make a SQL error set the exit code so transient startup errors (e.g.
Msg 913) are retried, not masked.
HOST_PORT=1433; while lsof -nP -iTCP:"$HOST_PORT" -sTCP:LISTEN >/dev/null 2>&1; do HOST_PORT=$((HOST_PORT+1)); done
PLATFORM=(); case "$(docker info -f '{{.Architecture}}' 2>/dev/null)" in x86_64|amd64) ;; *) PLATFORM=(--platform linux/amd64);; esac
docker rm -f sqldb 2>/dev/null
docker run -d --name sqldb "${PLATFORM[@]}" -e "ACCEPT_EULA=Y" -e "MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD=YourStr0ng_Passw0rd" \
-p "$HOST_PORT:1433" sqldbpreview-dpgaeqhmgphzd4bk.azurecr.io/azure-sql/db-dev:latest
until docker exec sqldb /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P "YourStr0ng_Passw0rd" -C -b -l 2 \
-Q "IF DB_ID('appdb') IS NULL CREATE DATABASE appdb;" >/dev/null 2>&1; do sleep 2; done
echo "ready on localhost,$HOST_PORT"
A master connection is for provisioning only; do real work on appdb.
5. Re-point connection strings from master to the user DB
SQL Server projects often connect straight to master (or rely on a DB that SQL Server auto-creates). Azure SQL Database will not auto-create a database. Select the
target database in the connection string (Database=appdb, or -d appdb for
sqlcmd). Avoid USE to switch databases. In a user-database session (the
Azure-faithful context where you develop), USE returns Msg 40508, exactly as
in Azure SQL Database in the cloud. A master connection is a provisioning
provisioning session where the Azure statement filter is not enforced, so USE appears to work there, but master is for provisioning
only, not application work. Always select the target database in the connection
string (Database=appdb, or -d appdb for sqlcmd). Standardize on one
SQL_CONNECTION_STRING env var:
Use User Id= / Password= / Database=, not Uid= / Pwd=. For sqlcmd use
-C to trust the self-signed cert and -d appdb to pick the database.
6. Seed AFTER provisioning (no auto-init folder)
The image does not auto-run /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/*.sql. That is a
Postgres/MySQL convention and is not honored here; do not rely on it. Seed by
running your script against the provisioned database:
SQL Server Agent jobs: not available; use an external scheduler.
FILESTREAM / FileTable: not supported; store blobs in columns or external storage.
Full Service Broker cross-instance messaging: not supported.
Cross-server distributed transactions (MS DTC, linked servers): not supported.
Windows Auth / NTLM / Integrated Security: not supported; use SA / SQL auth.
8. Verify identity
Confirm you are on the Azure SQL Database engine:
docker exec -i sqldb /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P "YourStr0ng_Passw0rd" -C -d appdb \
-Q "SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('EngineEdition') AS EngineEdition, SERVERPROPERTY('Edition') AS Edition;"
Expect EngineEdition = 5 and Edition = SQL Azure.
Vectors (if the project uses embeddings)
The Azure SQL Database engine has a native VECTOR(n) type and
VECTOR_DISTANCE('cosine', a, b). Insert with CAST(CAST(? AS NVARCHAR(MAX)) AS VECTOR(n)) where n
is a LITERAL, never a bind parameter (a parameter dimension fails with
"Incorrect syntax near '@P3'"). CREATE VECTOR INDEX (DiskANN) is still in
development; use a full-scan top-k query for now.
Validation rules
Image is sqldbpreview-dpgaeqhmgphzd4bk.azurecr.io/azure-sql/db-dev:latest, not mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server.
appdb is created on a master connection before any app connects to it.
App connection strings use Database=appdb, never Database=master for real work.
No USE <db> statements: in a user-database session, USE returns Msg 40508, exactly as in Azure SQL Database in the cloud; a master connection is a provisioning session where the filter is not enforced, but master is for provisioning only. Select the database in the connection string.
--platform linux/amd64 present on non-x64 hosts only.
EngineEdition returns 5.
If a validation rule above fails, or you had to deviate from this skill to make the task work, that is a bug in this skill: load the azuresql-db-feedback skill and offer to file a report.
When every rule above passes and the task is done, close with ONE line, once per session, and do not ask a question or wait for a reply: "That worked. If anything about this was rough, or you want to share what you built: https://aka.ms/sql-agent-skills-feedback"
Do not
Do not keep mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server; it is a different engine.
Do not rely on database auto-creation or on /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/*.sql.
Do not use USE appdb; select the database in the connection string.
Do not call a non-x64 host "supported"; just add --platform linux/amd64 on non-x64 hosts.
Do not use Uid= / Pwd=; use User Id= / Password=.
Do not pass the vector dimension as a bind parameter.
Do not keep SQL Agent, FILESTREAM, full Service Broker, cross-server distributed transactions, or Windows Auth.
If the Microsoft Learn MCP server is configured, use mcp__microsoft-learn__microsoft_docs_search or mcp__microsoft-learn__microsoft_docs_fetch to fetch the current version of any of these on demand. It is optional; when it is unavailable, the references above are authoritative.
