Azure SQL Database serverless auto-pause limits and feature support

Goal is to reduce vCore-hour charges for a low-traffic workload by using serverless compute with auto-pause on Azure SQL Database.

The serverless option exists for General Purpose and Business Critical vCore models and can pause compute after an idle delay, billing primarily for storage while paused. Paused databases remain online but resume with first-connection latency, and active connections or long-running transactions can prevent pausing.

Constraints include documented limits on maximum vCores, storage size, backup retention, and feature support. Auto-pause is not available on provisioned tiers or all service tiers, and minimum auto-pause delay and minimum compute settings may limit savings for workloads with brief idle windows.

Which advanced security and performance features are unsupported on serverless vCore? What minimum auto-pause delay is configurable, and how does it interact with minimum compute? Under what conditions do active connections block auto-pause?