The Azure SQL Database container: capabilities, limits, and why

Use this skill to answer "can I / why can't I / is X supported / what's different from the cloud" questions accurately, instead of guessing from general SQL Server or Azure SQL Database knowledge. A base model does not know this preview product's specifics, and the honest answers are often nuanced.

Re-measured on 2026-09-19 against the container image tag 18.0.226_4_147, reporting EngineEdition 5, Edition SQL Azure, build 12.0.2000.8. All seven executable checks behind this skill pass: the engine identity, Msg 40510 for BACKUP and for RESTORE, Msg 40508 for USE, Msg 33233 for a contained user, Msg 12824 for SET CONTAINMENT = PARTIAL, and Msg 12713 for BULK INSERT from a local file. Two of those numbers were wrong before that date: this skill printed Msg 15007 and Msg 12844. Both statements are still refused, so the answers are unchanged and only the numbers are. The gap list this skill summarises tracks the published Known limitations page, which moves independently of that run, so read the live page before repeating a gap claim.

The mental model: engine vs. managed service vs. SQL Server