How to Tell if Your SQL Server Is Cloud-Hosted

Galaxy Glossary

Is SQL Server cloud hosted?

Detect whether a SQL Server instance runs on-premises or in a cloud platform such as Azure SQL or Amazon RDS.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

Does SQL Server tell you it’s in the cloud?

Yes. SQL Server exposes edition and engine metadata you can query to confirm if the instance is Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Amazon RDS, or an on-prem install.

Which property reveals cloud hosting?

SERVERPROPERTY('EngineEdition') returns a numeric code. Values 5 and 8 indicate Azure SQL Database or Azure SQL Managed Instance. ‘RDS’ shows up in @@VERSION for Amazon RDS.

How do I query it?

Run the syntax below in any database—even one with ecommerce tables like Customers or Orders—to get an immediate answer.

SQL Server T-SQL

SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('EngineEdition') AS engine_edition, SERVERPROPERTY('Edition') AS edition, @@VERSION AS full_version;

Result meanings

1 = Enterprise/Standard/Developer (on-prem or IaaS VM). 5 = Azure SQL Database. 8 = Azure SQL Managed Instance. If @@VERSION contains “RDS”, the instance is Amazon RDS.

Practical example with ecommerce data

After confirming cloud status, you can safely run workload checks. Example: count unshipped Orders on an Azure SQL Database.

-- run only if EngineEdition = 5 (Azure SQL) SELECT COUNT(*) FROM Orders o WHERE NOT EXISTS ( SELECT 1 FROM OrderItems i WHERE i.order_id = o.id AND i.quantity > 0);

Best practices

Always confirm hosting before using cloud-specific features like Automatic Tuning (Azure) or Multi-AZ failover (RDS). Log the EngineEdition value at app startup for diagnostics.

Common mistakes

Ignoring version hints — Assuming on-prem because Edition = ‘Developer’. Always check EngineEdition and @@VERSION together.

Hard-coding feature logic — Branching on EngineEdition alone misses RDS VMs. Use both SERVERPROPERTY and @@VERSION for certainty.

Need a faster workflow?

Use Galaxy’s AI-powered SQL editor to store this detection query in a shared Collection so your team can reuse it without digging through Slack.

Why How to Tell if Your SQL Server Is Cloud-Hosted is important

How to Tell if Your SQL Server Is Cloud-Hosted Example Usage


-- Detect hosting and list today’s Orders only if cloud-hosted
DECLARE @cloud BIT = CASE 
                        WHEN SERVERPROPERTY('EngineEdition') IN (5,8) 
                             OR @@VERSION LIKE '%RDS%' THEN 1 
                        ELSE 0 
                     END;

IF @cloud = 1
BEGIN
    SELECT o.id,
           c.name  AS customer_name,
           o.total_amount
    FROM   Orders   o
    JOIN   Customers c ON c.id = o.customer_id
    WHERE  o.order_date = CAST(GETDATE() AS DATE);
END;

How to Tell if Your SQL Server Is Cloud-Hosted Syntax


-- Cloud-host detection syntax
SELECT  SERVERPROPERTY('EngineEdition')   AS engine_edition, -- 1,3,4=on-prem; 5=Azure SQL DB; 8=Azure MI
        SERVERPROPERTY('Edition')        AS edition,         -- Human-readable edition name
        @@VERSION                        AS full_version;    -- Contains 'RDS' for Amazon RDS

-- Optional business-logic guard in a stored procedure
IF SERVERPROPERTY('EngineEdition') = 5
BEGIN
    -- Example: limit price updates in Products table when on Azure SQL Database
    UPDATE Products
    SET    price = price * 1.02
    WHERE  stock < 10;
END;

Common Mistakes

Assuming on-prem because Edition reports “Developer.” Fix: rely on EngineEdition (5 or 8) and @@VERSION keywords.
Branching logic on EngineEdition only, missing Amazon RDS which returns 3 but includes "RDS" in @@VERSION. Fix: parse both values.