Azure SQL managed instance Dev test version stops everything without instructing it to stop

Hello Cees Bolijn - Sflex Sign Software,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A and thank you for posting your questions here.

I understand that your Azure SQL managed instance Dev test version stops everything without instructing it to stop.

Regarding your explanations:

1. Check Instance Status in the Azure Portal - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/frequently-asked-questions-faq?view=azuresql , open your MI overview and confirm the State at the top. If you see “Stopped Insufficient credit,” the issue is related to subscription credits or billing limits.
2. Go to Resource Health under your MI to see if Azure reports any outages, maintenance events, or platform-side incidents. - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/service-health/resource-health-overview
3. Check the activity log - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/platform/activity-log filtered to your MI and timeframe. This shows if the stop was triggered by a user, Microsoft, or automation or use CLI alternative:

      az monitor activity-log list \
           --resource-id /subscriptions/<sub>/resourceGroups/<rg>/providers/Microsoft.Sql/managedInstances/<mi> \
           --start-time 2025-08-20T00:00:00Z
   

   • https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/platform/rest-activity-log
4. Look at your subscription overview or budgets - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/spending-limit
5. If credits or payment are available, you can restart the MI via Portal or CLI:

       az sql mi start -g <resourceGroup> -n <managedInstanceName>
       az sql mi show -g <resourceGroup> -n <managedInstanceName>
   

   Note: start/stop is supported only on certain tiers - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/sql/mi?view=azure-cli-latest and requires proper RBAC permissions.
   6. If neither the Activity Log nor Resource Health shows a cause, open an Azure Support ticket and include both logs as evidence - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/service-health/resource-health-overview

Example of what you can give to executive or for the Board:

Problem: The dev/free-tier MI stopped due to credit exhaustion or a stop action (not a product flaw). Evidence: “Stopped Insufficient credit” banner + Activity Log. - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/frequently-asked-questions-faq

Recommendation: Run the POC on a small production-tier MI with 99.99% SLA - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/azure-sql-iaas-vs-paas-what-is-overview?view=azuresql , monitoring, budgets, and a planned maintenance window - https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/azure-sql/managed-instance/maintenance-window

Cost Control: Start with minimal sizing, apply [reserved capacity/AHB - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/azure-sql-managed-instance

and set budgets. We can provide cost estimates once vCore targets are confirmed.

Board Deliverables: Approval for a short-term production-tier MI, monitoring + runbook setup, and optional small geo-replica/failover group for demo resilience. Failover best practices - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/failover-group-sql-mi

I hope this is helpful! Do not hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions or clarifications.

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