Decommissioning Azure Storage Accounts for Backup with Azure SQL Managed Instance

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Decommissioning Azure Storage Accounts for Backup with Azure SQL Managed Instance

InfraSolutions 711

The current setup in Azure includes:

Primary region: Two SQL Servers enabled for Failover Cluster Instance (FCI) sharing the same data disk, taking backups to Azure Blob storage with Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS).
Secondary region for Disaster Recovery (DR): A similar setup, restoring data backups from Azure Blob storage with Locally Redundant Storage (LRS).

The plan is to transition from SQL Servers to Azure SQL Managed Instance (MI). Is it possible to decommission the Azure Storage account used for backups and restores, considering that Azure SQL Managed Instance has built-in backup and restore capabilities? What recommendations exist for decommissioning the storage account in the context of Azure SQL MI?

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Answer 1

Vijayalaxmi Kattimani 2,235 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi MJ-1983,

Greetings!

We would like to inform you that, transitioning from SQL Servers to Azure SQL Managed Instance (MI) is a significant step, and it does come with changes in how backups and restores are managed. Azure SQL Managed Instance has built-in automated backup capabilities, which means that it handles backups for you without the need for a separate Azure Storage account for backup purposes.

Azure SQL Managed Instance automatically takes full backups weekly, differential backups every 12 hours, and transaction log backups every 5 to 10 minutes. These backups are stored in Azure and are retained for a configurable period (up to 35 days). You can restore databases to any point in time within the retention period.

These backups are stored in geo-redundant storage by default, ensuring high availability and disaster recovery. Please refer to this document https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/automated-backups-overview?view=azuresql

However, there are some considerations and recommendations to keep in mind when decommissioning the Azure Storage account used for backups and restores:

Verify Backup Retention: Ensure that all necessary backups are available, and that the retention period meets your requirements. Azure SQL MI supports point-in-time restore within the retention period (up to 35 days) and long-term retention (up to 10 years) if configured.
Transition Backups: Before decommissioning, confirm that all critical data has been successfully transitioned to Azure SQL MI's backup system. Perform test restores to verify data integrity and availability.
Update Disaster Recovery Plan: Adjust your disaster recovery plan to reflect the new backup and restore processes with Azure SQL MI. Ensure that your team is familiar with the new procedures.
Decommission Storage Account: Once you are confident that the Azure SQL MI backups are functioning correctly and all necessary data is secure, you can proceed to decommission the Azure Storage account. Follow best practices for decommissioning, such as ensuring no other services depend on the storage account and securely deleting any remaining data. Please refer to this document https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/azure/azure-storage/blobs/recovery/data-protection-backup-recovery

I hope this information helps. Please do let us know if you have any further queries.

If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

InfraSolutions 711 Reputation points

2025-03-24T13:08:30.9233333+00:00

Thank you so much for explaining my queries; the recommendations given about decommissioning the Azure Storage account are really helpful. I have accepted this answer but would like to ask one more query related to this. If we have two SQL Servers sharing the same data disk and enabled FCI, after migration to SQL MI, is one instance enough to match the similar setup with the following config?

I would also need a DR setup in the secondary region, and currently, we have a similar setup in DR as well.
Vijayalaxmi Kattimani 2,235 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-03-24T13:38:51.45+00:00
Hi @MJ-1983,

You are welcome!

I am glad the recommendations were helpful. Let's address your query about transitioning from a Failover Cluster Instance (FCI) setup to Azure SQL Managed Instance (MI).

One Azure SQL Managed Instance can provide high availability and disaster recovery features, such as auto-failover groups, which can simplify your setup compared to two SQL Servers with Failover Cluster Instances. However, the specific requirements of your workload, including performance and scalability, should be evaluated to determine if a single instance is sufficient for your needs. Assess the performance requirements of your applications. A single instance can handle multiple databases, but ensure it has adequate resources (vCores, memory, etc.) to meet your workload demands.

Regarding the disaster recovery (DR) in a secondary region, Azure SQL Managed Instance supports:

Auto-failover Groups: Allows you to configure a secondary managed instance in a different region for automatic failover in case of a regional outage.

Geo-restore: Enables you to restore a database from geo-redundant backups to any Azure region.

Here are some recommendations for matching your setup:

Single Instance for HA:

One Azure SQL Managed Instance can provide the high availability you need, as it has built-in HA features. You don't need to set up multiple instances within the same region as you would with an FCI.

DR Setup in Secondary Region:

Configure Auto-failover Groups: Set up an auto-failover group between your primary and secondary managed instances. This ensures that your databases can automatically failover to the secondary region in case of a disaster.

Test Failover and Restore: Regularly test the failover and restore processes to ensure that your DR setup works as expected and meets your recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO).

Please refer to the below mentioned link for more information.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/business-continuity-high-availability-disaster-recover-hadr-overview?view=azuresql

I hope this information helps. Please do let us know if you have any further queries.
Vijayalaxmi Kattimani 2,235 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-03-25T09:03:00.4966667+00:00

Hi @MJ-1983,

We haven’t heard from you on the last response and wanted to follow up to check if your issue has been resolved.

If you have found a solution, we would appreciate it if you could share it with the community, as it may be helpful to others. Otherwise, please provide more details, and we will do our best to assist you further.
Vijayalaxmi Kattimani 2,235 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-03-26T08:42:30.0233333+00:00

Hi @MJ-1983,

We haven't heard from you regarding our last response and wanted to follow up to see if your issue has been resolved.

I hope our previous response addressed your query. Please let us know if you have any further questions.
InfraSolutions 711 Reputation points

2025-03-28T09:50:53.05+00:00

Sorry for the delayed response.

Thank you so much for all your responses. It looks like you have covered all my queries :-)

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Decommissioning Azure Storage Accounts for Backup with Azure SQL Managed Instance

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