Last updated: 2026-05-06

Migrate from Azure Data Studio

This guide walks you through migrating your workflow from Azure Data Studio to Jam SQL Studio. Whether you're migrating connections, queries, or learning new features, we've got you covered.

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 after that date, but it no longer receives security updates, the marketplace is wound down, and Microsoft is officially recommending users move to SSMS or VS Code with the SQL extension. Neither one ships every Azure Data Studio feature, which is why most ADS users end up evaluating a third-party replacement.

The minimum viable Azure Data Studio migration covers four things:

1. Connections — export from %APPDATA%\azuredatastudio\User\settings.json (Windows) or ~/Library/Application Support/azuredatastudio/User/settings.json (macOS). See the dedicated Export ADS connections guide.
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 to execute, Cmd/Ctrl+E, Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+E for selected text) are already the same. Custom keybindings in keybindings.json can be re-created in Jam SQL Studio's preferences.

The full step-by-step Azure Data Studio migration walkthrough is below — read it once end-to-end, then work through it with both apps open side by side. Most teams complete the migration in 30 to 60 minutes per person.

Why "official" Microsoft guidance leaves gaps

Microsoft's recommended Azure Data Studio migration path is "switch to SSMS or VS Code with the mssql extension". That covers SQL Server users on Windows, but leaves three gaps:

• Mac and Linux users — SSMS is Windows-only. The VS Code extension works but feels text-editor-grade compared to ADS.
• Notebooks users — SSMS doesn't ship SQL Notebooks at all. VS Code's notebook story for SQL is limited.
• Multi-engine users — ADS shipped PostgreSQL and MySQL extensions. SSMS is SQL Server only.

Jam SQL Studio fills those three gaps natively — cross-platform, built-in SQL Notebooks with the same .ipynb format ADS used, and first-class support for SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, Oracle, and SQLite in the same window. That's why this Azure Data Studio migration guide exists.

Migration Steps

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

Feature Comparison

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

Migrating Notebooks

Azure Data Studio included SQL Notebooks for interactive database workflows. Jam SQL Studio now 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 being 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. Jam SQL Studio uses standard SQL Server connection strings. If you have connection strings saved in configuration files, they'll work directly in Jam SQL Studio.

What about Azure-specific features?

Jam SQL Studio fully supports Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and Azure Synapse Analytics. Azure-specific features like Azure AD authentication and Azure resource browsing are supported.

Will my keyboard shortcuts work?

Jam SQL Studio uses familiar shortcuts. Cmd+E / Ctrl+E executes queries, Cmd+S / Ctrl+S saves, and most common shortcuts match what you're used to. You can customize shortcuts in preferences.

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.