Last updated: 2026-09-26

Azure Data Studio Migration: Step-by-Step Guide

How to move connections, saved queries, notebooks, snippets, and the extensions you relied on from Azure Data Studio to Jam SQL Studio. Work through it with both apps open side by side: import your connections first, then open your files, then replace each extension.

Azure Data Studio Migration: What You Need to Know

Azure Data Studio migration is the process of moving your workflow — connections, saved queries, notebooks, extensions, and habits — off Azure Data Studio after Microsoft's February 28, 2026 retirement. The application still launches, but it no longer receives updates or security fixes, and its extensions are frozen with it. Microsoft points users to Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension, and to SSMS for SQL Server Agent.

The minimum viable Azure Data Studio migration covers four things:

1. Connections — Jam SQL Studio reads Azure Data Studio's settings.json directly and imports your saved SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and Azure Data Explorer (Kusto) connections in one click (see Import your connections below). Migrating from another machine? The dedicated Export ADS connections guide covers the manual copy path.
2. Saved queries and notebooks — .sql and .ipynb files in your filesystem. They're already portable; no export needed.
3. Snippets — ADS user snippets live in User/snippets/sql.json. Most can be pasted directly into Jam SQL Studio's SQL Snippets manager.
4. Keybindings and shortcuts — the major ones (F5 or Cmd/Ctrl+Enter to execute — selection-aware — and Cmd/Ctrl+S to save) are already the same, and the SQL editor uses the same Monaco (VS Code) keybindings as Azure Data Studio. To use SSMS’s keys, pick the SSMS / Azure Data Studio shortcut scheme in Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts: Execute then uses F5 only, so Cmd/Ctrl+Enter no longer executes, and on Windows and Linux Alt+Break cancels a query and Ctrl+R shows or hides the results pane.

What Microsoft recommends, and where it stops

Microsoft's retirement page splits Azure Data Studio across two tools. As of September 2026:

• VS Code with the MSSQL extension now covers most of the SQL Server editing surface: Object Explorer, query plan visualizer, Schema Compare, Table and Schema designers, SQL notebooks, flat-file import, DACPAC/BACPAC, and a Query Profiler (feature list). It targets SQL Server, Azure SQL, and SQL database in Fabric only.
• SSMS remains Microsoft's home for SQL Server Agent jobs and classic administration — and it runs only on Windows.
• Other engines move to separate tools: PostgreSQL to the PostgreSQL extension for VS Code, while Microsoft lists the MySQL replacement as “pending announcement”.

That leaves three groups without a direct successor: Mac and Linux users who managed SQL Server Agent jobs, people who used ADS for SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and MySQL in one window, and anyone who charted query results in ADS — the MSSQL extension's feature list has no result charts. Jam SQL Studio covers those in one desktop app on macOS, Windows, and Linux — an Agent Jobs Manager, charts, and first-class SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, Oracle, and SQLite connections — and adds Data Compare, which ADS didn’t ship. If you only work on SQL Server from Windows and already live in VS Code, Microsoft's path is a reasonable fit; the retirement overview compares the options.

Before You Start: Take Inventory

Do this while Azure Data Studio still opens on your machine — it takes a few minutes and saves the most common surprise, which is an extension you forgot you depended on.

• Connections — server addresses and ports, the authentication method for each (SQL login, Windows, or Microsoft Entra ID), and default databases. The import below reads these for you; the list is for checking nothing was missed.
• Extensions — open the Extensions view and write down every installed extension you actually use. Map each one with the extension table below.
• Snippets and keybindings — custom snippets in User/snippets/sql.json and any rebound keys.
• Files — where your .sql scripts and .ipynb notebooks live. They are plain files and move as-is.

Migration Steps

Follow these steps to migrate from Azure Data Studio to Jam SQL Studio:

2

Import Your Connections

Jam SQL Studio detects your Azure Data Studio installation and reads its settings.json directly — no manual export needed. There are four ways to start the import:

• Start page — on first launch, if ADS connections are detected the start page leads with a Found N connections in Azure Data Studio card. Click Import connections and pick Azure Data Studio.
• New Connection dialog — choose Import from another tool instead of typing a server by hand.
• Command palette — press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P and run Import Connections from Azure Data Studio.
• Manage Connections — open the Saved Connections dialog, click Import… in the footer, and pick Azure Data Studio (marked Found when its store is on this machine).

The review dialog lists every saved SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and Azure Data Explorer (Kusto / KQL) connection, grouped under the same server groups you used in ADS. Tick the ones you want (duplicates you already added are pre-unchecked), then click Import — Kusto profiles import as real connections alongside the rest. Profiles from other ADS extensions, such as MySQL, appear greyed out and can’t be ticked; add those with New Connection.

Passwords are re-entered, not copied

Azure Data Studio never stores passwords in settings.json (they live in the OS credential store), so Jam SQL Studio doesn't read them. Type a password inline in the review dialog, or leave it blank — you'll be prompted for it the first time you connect, with an option to save it.

Importing from another machine? Copy the exported connections file across, then click Can't find your file? Browse… inside the review dialog and point it at the settings.json (or the saved ads-connections.json fragment from the Export ADS connections guide).

Coming from a different tool? The same one-click import works for VS Code, SQL Server Management Studio, DBeaver, DataGrip, TablePlus, MySQL Workbench, Navicat, and pgAdmin, as well as tnsnames.ora, pg_service.conf, .my.cnf, and ODBC data sources — see Import connections from other tools.

Feature Comparison

Here's how Azure Data Studio features map to Jam SQL Studio:

Azure Data Studio Extensions and Their Replacements

The middle column is Microsoft's own replacement from its retirement page, as of September 2026. The right column is where the same job lives in Jam SQL Studio.

Migrating Notebooks

Azure Data Studio included SQL Notebooks for interactive database workflows. Jam SQL Studio provides SQL Notebooks with the same .ipynb format and shared session behavior.

Opening ADS Notebooks

Open your existing .ipynb files directly: More > Open Notebook and select the file. SQL cells work immediately with inline results and a shared session (temp tables persist across cells).

Coming from Polyglot Notebooks?

Polyglot Notebooks (also deprecated) used the same .ipynb format. Jam SQL Studio handles Polyglot-origin files:

• SQL cells are preserved as executable code cells
• JavaScript cells are preserved as executable code cells
• C#, F#, PowerShell, and HTML cells are imported as Markdown with the source in code fences
• Polyglot kernel metadata is preserved for round-trip compatibility

See the Polyglot Notebooks comparison page for a detailed feature comparison and migration guide.

Common Migration Questions

Can I use my existing connection strings?

Yes. Beyond the one-click Azure Data Studio import, Jam SQL Studio accepts standard connection strings — paste an ADO.NET, URL, JDBC, EZConnect, or libpq string into the New Connection dialog or the command palette to prefill the form. See Paste a connection string.

What about Azure-specific features?

Jam SQL Studio connects to Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance with Microsoft Entra ID sign-in, and Browse Azure adds Azure SQL servers, PostgreSQL flexible servers, and Azure Data Explorer clusters from your signed-in account as connections.

Is ADS still safe to keep installed?

It keeps launching, but Microsoft no longer ships security fixes for it or its Electron runtime, and it handles your database credentials. Keep it only as long as you need it to check the inventory above.

How do I get help during migration?

If you encounter issues during migration, contact our support team at [email protected]. We're happy to help Azure Data Studio users transition smoothly.

Frequently asked questions