If you’ve opened Azure Data Studio recently, you probably noticed a message saying that support for the IDE will end on February 28, 2026 (read full announcement). Microsoft says it wants to simplify the development of data developer tools. And that means integrating the features that Azure Data Studio users love into Visual Studio Code. In tandem with this announcement, new “preview” features were added to the mssql extension in VS Code. These new features are a first attempt at migrating the same functionalities found in Azure Data Studio.
Why This Is Good News
About 8 months ago, I posted on LinkedIn about how VS Code is my go-to for pretty much everything except for SQL development. My frustration at the time was that both Azure Data Studio (ADS) and VS Code looked practically identical. However, the functionalities for managing SQL queries and connections were much better in Azure Data Studio. I tagged Microsoft in my post and expressed a desire to get the same functionality of ADS into VS Code. I’d like to pretend that Microsoft saw my post and thought, “Yeah, that’s a great idea! Let’s do it!”. But the reality is that many developers felt the same way I did. Nobody wants to toggle back and forth between these two IDEs to get their work done effectively. All I can say is that I’m grateful it’s finally happening!
A Year to Iron Out Bugs
In my professional work, I do a lot of SQL development. When I heard about the updates to the mssql VS Code extension, I decided to dive in and experiment. I’m happy to report that it’s much better than it used to be! It now has the same workspace layout as both SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and Azure Data Studio (ADS). In addition, there’s a new user interface that makes connecting to servers much easier. Prior to the latest extension release, connecting a server in VS Code required a connection string. The new connection dialog mirrors ADS.
Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with SQL in VS Code with the new update. That said, some items need further development. And not all features of Azure Data Studio made it into the new release. For example, the flat import functionality that lets you take a CSV file and import it into SQL Server does not yet exist. There is a note on Microsoft’s website explaining that this functionality is still in development, but some functionalities are simply not going to be available anymore, or at least not in the same way (see alternatives).
For example, I use Jupyter Notebooks for both Python and SQL. I like how SQL notebooks function in Azure Data Studio. But that same style will not carry over. In VS Code, Microsoft suggests using its Polyglot extension. It might just be me, but I’m not sure how to get this to work easily with SQL Notebooks.
In any case, Microsoft has given itself a year to iron out the bugs. As more and more users make the switch to VS Code, they will likely have a lot of feedback and I think Microsoft plans to listen closely to that feedback.