Jam SQL Studio Published: 2026-02-12
Azure Data Studio Has Been Retired — What Are Your Options?
Microsoft announced on February 6, 2025 that Azure Data Studio would be retired, and Azure Data Studio was officially retired on February 28, 2026. If you're one of the many developers and DBAs who relied on ADS for cross-platform SQL development, here's everything you need to know about what happened and where to go next.
What's Happening?
Azure Data Studio, Microsoft's cross-platform database tool built on VS Code, reached end of life on February 28, 2026. Since then:
- No more security updates or bug fixes
- No new features or extensions
- Third-party extension support may cease
- Microsoft support will no longer be available
The retirement affects all platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux.
What You Lose
Azure Data Studio brought several unique features to cross-platform SQL development that are not directly replaced by Microsoft's recommended alternatives:
- Built-in charting — query result visualization was one of ADS's most loved features
- Polyglot Notebooks — interactive notebooks with SQL, Python, and C# (also being deprecated)
- Dashboard widgets — customizable server and database dashboards
- Integrated extensions — purpose-built extensions for SQL Server administration
- Cross-platform schema compare — available through ADS extensions
Microsoft's Official Recommendations
Microsoft points users to two official alternatives:
1. VS Code + MSSQL Extension
The VS Code MSSQL extension provides basic SQL Server connectivity within VS Code. It covers query execution, IntelliSense, and results viewing. However, it lacks execution plan visualization, schema compare, data compare, charting, and the integrated database management experience ADS provided.
2. SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
SSMS remains the most feature-complete option for SQL Server administration on Windows. It offers execution plans, schema compare, and deep SQL Server integration. The limitation: it only runs on Windows, leaving Mac and Linux users without an option.
Third-Party Alternatives
Several third-party SQL IDEs offer cross-platform alternatives with varying feature sets:
| Feature | VS Code + MSSQL | SSMS | DBeaver | Jam SQL Studio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-platform | ✓ | ✗ Windows only | ✓ | ✓ |
| Execution Plans | Basic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Schema Compare | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ Pro only | ✓ |
| Built-in Charting | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ Pro only | ✓ |
| AI Agent Support (MCP) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| PostgreSQL Support | Extension | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free Tier | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
How to Migrate
Regardless of which tool you choose, the migration process is similar:
- Export your connections — note your server addresses, authentication types, and default databases
- Save your SQL scripts — copy your .sql files to a known location; they work in any SQL editor
- Install your new tool — set up connections using the same credentials
- Test your workflows — run your common queries and verify results match
For a detailed step-by-step migration guide to Jam SQL Studio, see our Migration from Azure Data Studio documentation.
Time to Migrate
Azure Data Studio was retired on February 28, 2026. Whether you choose the VS Code MSSQL extension, SSMS, DBeaver, or Jam SQL Studio, the time to migrate is now. Continuing to use retired software risks working with unpatched security vulnerabilities.
Try Jam SQL Studio as Your ADS Replacement
Cross-platform, free for personal use, with execution plans, schema compare, and AI support.