Microsoft is killing Azure Data Studio to make room for VS Code

Another product is entering the Microsoft graveyard after Dev Home. Now, the Redmond company has announced the retirement of Azure Data Studio (ADS), though it’ll still be supported until February 28, 2025.

Carlos Robles, Microsoft’s senior product manager, says that Microsoft is shifting its focus on “delivering a modern, streamlined SQL development experience” through Visual Studio Code (VS Code) with the MSSQL extension instead.

The reason is that the VS Code with MSSQL is a more modern, feature-rich SQL development experience. Because, it has better query execution, advanced schema management, and easier CI/CD integration in a lightweight, cross-platform environment.

The company also mentions on its support page that migration from ADS to VS Code will be straightforward, with full compatibility for ADS projects and queries. Even though some features like SQL Server Agent will be replaced by alternatives, developers are encouraged to explore new possibilities in VS Code.

“By consolidating efforts on Visual Studio Code, we can deliver advanced features and improved experiences more efficiently. This eliminates duplication, reduces maintenance costs, and accelerates feature delivery,” Microsoft promises.

Microsoft introduced Azure Data Studio in September 2018, initially known as SQL Operations Studio during its preview phase. It was officially released at Microsoft Ignite 2018. This cross-platform desktop environment is designed for data professionals working with both on-premises and cloud data platforms across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

VS Code initially arrived years before that in 2015 as a lightweight, extensible code editor for various programming languages.