2. Azure SQL Hyperscale Architecture Concepts and Foundations

Over the years, many new features and improvements have been continuously developed as part of and alongside the traditional SQL database architecture. As cloud computing platforms began to take prominence in the technology sphere, a new form of cloud database architecture has progressively emerged. This new form of architecture incorporates new methodologies involving multitiered architecture. A key characteristic is decoupling compute nodes from the storage layer and the database log service. It aims to incorporate many of the pre-existing and newly evolving features into the new architectural paradigm. This allows for the best combination of performance, scalability, and optimal cost. In this chapter, we will examine in more depth the architectural differences with Hyperscale that enable it to provide improvements in performance, scale, and storage when compared with other tiers of Azure SQL Database. The multitier architecture lies at the heart of this architectural transformation, so we will spend the majority of our time on it in this chapter.