You have 100 servers hosting SQL Server instances with databases up to 4 TB. What should you recommend to minimize management overhead while allowing Azure AD authentication?

Recommending Azure SQL Managed Instance is appropriate for several reasons that align with the scenario presented. This option is ideal for minimizing management overhead when handling a large number of SQL Server instances because it offers a fully managed database service that closely resembles on-premises SQL Server while introducing the benefits of cloud scalability and management.

One of the main advantages of Azure SQL Managed Instance is its support for Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication, which simplifies the management of user identities and access. This aligns perfectly with your requirements to facilitate Azure AD integration while avoiding the complexities involved with managing 100 separate servers and instances.

Additionally, Azure SQL Managed Instance provides a seamless migration path from on-premises SQL Server, allowing businesses to retain familiar SQL Server capabilities while benefiting from cloud features such as automated backups, scaling, and patching, further reducing the administrative workload.

In contrast, other options do not match the same level of management efficiency or lack specific feature support. For example, Azure SQL Database single databases are less suited for scenarios requiring seamless migration of multiple databases and might not be as efficient in resource utilization and management as a Managed Instance for extensive workloads. Azure SQL Database elastic pools, while beneficial for managing variable workloads among several databases, still do not support the full SQL