Choosing Azure Virtual Machine Sizes for SQL Server Configuration – A Complete Guide

Written By Andrew Jackson

Approved By Anuraag Singh

Modified On January 7th, 2026

Reading Time 7 Min Read

Database management systems have now been efficiently upgraded to cloud platforms. Microsoft Azure offers various options for configuring SQL Server in the cloud. However, the most common mistake users often make is selecting the wrong Azure virtual machine sizes. With the help of this article, we are going to learn more about this size family and how to choose which is the best. Along with understanding the sizes, we will also understand what are the issues a user might encounter with the virtual machines and how we can resolve them effectively.

So, without any deal, let’s proceed with the Azure virtual machine size family.

What Are Azure Virtual Machine Sizes? Overview

By definition, as the term species, VM sizes are predefined configurations offered with the cloud servers that help the database administrators understand the requirements of the virtual machine. If we simplify this more, it basically means these sizes specify what the desired virtual machine is capable of and how much workload it can handle without issues. These size series, such as Mbdsv3, Ebdsv5/6, and FXmdsv2, become important when the database administrators look to integrate applications like SQL Server 2025 with the virtual machines. Let’s now take a look at why users consider using SQL Server environments on Virtual machines and how it benefits the database administrators with their workloads.

Offers complete control over the SQL Server environment.
Allows performance scalability depending on requirement of the user.
Provides High availability and disaster recovery features.
Offers support to various migration scenarios and hybrid integrations.

For such integrations, the Azure virtual machine offers several size series for different cases. This makes it important for the users and database administrators to understand the Azure virtual machine size family thoroughly and then choose one from the Azure virtual machine sizes for their databases. We will now take a look at some of the Azure VM size series to learn more about them and what their specifications are.

Facing Challenges With SQL Server Integration With Azure Virtual Machines? Here’s the Solution

Many issues and challenges can occur in the VMs and SQL Server configuration. The common issues include database corruption due to the following reasons:

Abrupt shutdown of the virtual machines.
Misconfigurations with the VM storage.
SQL Server and VM incompatibility.
Improper Backup strategies.
Errors like SQL Server Error 823.

Such issues require a professional approach to fixing. If a user encounters a similar situation, they can choose a reliable solution like SysTools SQL Recovery Tool, a utility that allows users to repair corrupt SQL database efficiently without compromising data security.

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Mbdsv3, Ebdsv5/6, and FXmdsv2 Comparison – Know the Capabilities

Now, as we learned above, the sizes of Azure virtual machines are important for server configuration; it is also important to know what size series offers and how they can be the right choice for the desired SQL Server version. Here, we will now learn the differences between the three series mentioned and learn the features they offer for better understanding.

Beginning with the first one, let’s see what it is and how it works.

The Mbdsv3 Series

When we talk about this series, they are specially designed high-end SQL Server setups. This virtual machine size series is optimized with ultra storage and memory for extremely intensive workloads. Now, moving on to understand the specifications of this size series, we will learn what it is capable of.

Key Specifications:

This series of Azure virtual machine sizes is mainly based on 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors.
They offer up to 1536 GiB of RAM for efficient performance.
Also, they offer a memory-to-core ratio of 8:1. To make it easier to understand, this 8:1 means that for each 1 CPU core, there is 8 GB of memory allotted.
For performance capabilities, this size series offers 6,50,000 IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second), for high-performance workloads and transactions.
Additionally, the Mbdsv3 series offers 10 GBps of remote storage. It means that the desired Azure virtual machine can easily read and write 10 gigabytes of data per second. For such capabilities, it uses Premium SSD v2 or Ultra Disk.

These are the specifications of the Mbdsv3 Series. Now, moving forward with the second series from Mbdsv3, Ebdsv5/6, and FXmdsv2.

The Ebdsv5 and Ebdsv6 Series

Next in the Azure virtual machine sizes series is the Ebdsv5 and Edbsv6 VMs. They are optimized with memory spaces, further offering a high memory-to-CPU ratio. These configurations help the virtual machine deliver comparatively higher disk storage performance. Now, how is this better than the other versions, we will understand that by taking a look at the specifications of this series.

Key Specifications for Ebdsv5:

The Ebdsv5 uses Intel Xeon Platinum 8370C(Ice Lake) processors.
This VM series offers up to 672 GiB RAM, making it efficient for the SQL Server workloads that are memory-intensive.
Also, the Ebdsv5 includes 3800 GiB of local SSD storage, allowing convenient, faster access to the data.

Key Specifications for Ebdsv6:

Ebdsv6 uses 5th-generation Intel Xeon Platinum 8573C(Emerald Rapids) processors for higher transaction throughput.
Capable of delivering up to 800,000 IOPS.
To make it ideal for large-scale operations, it also provides up to 14,000 MBps of storage throughput.

With these specifications, we can learn how this series of Azure virtual machine sizes allows users to achieve high performance efficiency. Let’s now take a look at the last series as mentioned.

The FXmdsv2 Series

Lastly, when we talk about the FXmdsv2 Series in the Azure virtual machine size family, we will know that these virtual machines are compute-optimized. These virtual machines are used especially for the workloads that require a very fast CPU performance, further integrated with considerable memory. Let’s now take a look at the key specifications for this series from the Azure virtual machine sizes to understand how they work.

Key Specifications:

Works on 5th gen Intel Xeon Platinum 8573C(Emerald Rapids) processors. This allows higher and more efficient performance.
Effectively supports all core turbo frequencies up to 4.0 GHz, allowing faster processing even during intensive workloads.
Offers support to up to 96 vCPUs, making the virtual machines capable of high parallel processing.
The FXmdsv2 Series also offers 1,832 GiB of RAM, which is optimal for memory-intensive workloads.

These are the specifications makes it clear why this series is efficient when users or database administrators are looking for a suitable virtual machine.

So far, we have read the technicalities of these size series. Now, it’s time for us to learn the differences that will allow the users to make the right choices regarding their server requirements.

Azure Virtual Machine Sizes – Choose the Right VM Size

We will now discuss when to choose which Virtual Machine Size Series to use for easier understanding of the users. We will also mention a few situations where these series can be helpful for the database administrators, which will allow the users to connect with the given scenarios and choose the right option.

Choose Mbdsv3 When:

There are critical SQL Server deployments on enterprise level.
Large OLTP systems that stores several number of users. Or there is an OLTP integrated with analytics workloads.
There are multi-TB SQL databases that require in-memory caching.

Go For Ebdsv5/Ebdsv6 When:

There is a high-transaction OLTP workload for the servers.
User needs systems for analytics and reporting.
Environments having heavy transaction logs or TempDB.
For efficient batch processing in the virtual machines.

Choose FXmdsv2 When:

There are complex and comput-intensive queries and calculations.
Special use cases for SQL Server, such as workloads regarding Electronic Design Automation.
With the applications that do not have storage as their primary bottleneck.

These are the best-case scenarios where each of these Azure virtual machine size family can be used effectively. To choose the right option, users can follow this guide completely and opt for the right approach to avoid any issues.

Conclusion

Through this technical guide, we have discussed the Azure virtual machine sizes. Also, we learned about the specifications of Mbdsv3, Ebdsv5/6, and FXmdsv2, and how each specification makes them efficient under certain use cases. To make it easier to choose for the users, we have also mentioned a comparison section. So, if you are a user looking for a guide to choose from the above-mentioned Azure VM size series, this guide will help you.