Engineer Documents Ongoing Optimization of 18 TB Azure SQL Hyperscale Database

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A software engineer is sharing a multi-part series chronicling the real-time optimization of an 18 TB Azure SQL Hyperscale database, with work still in progress. The effort focuses on performance, cost, and long-term database health, running in parallel with regular product development rather than replacing it. The engineer, who gravitates toward the data layer without formal DBA training, took on primary responsibility for the database with the support of their team. AI is being used as a research and investigation tool in a governed, deliberate manner — not for automated code generation. Customer identity, personal data, and competitively sensitive details have been withheld, and all figures are approximated to convey scale rather than precision.

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