Timing Your Learning

When Microsoft announced they were retiring Azure Data Studio, it made me reflect on how we choose which new technologies deserve our time and attention.

In case you weren’t aware, Microsoft recently made the surprising announcement to retire Azure Data Studio (ADS) on February 6. If it’s part of your regular workflow, you have until February 28, 2026, to make the recommended switch from ADS to Visual Studio Code and the MSSQL extension. I tried using ADS for work, testing, and blog posts, but it never became a tool that I felt like I needed. Because it was the shiny new application, I wanted to like it more than I actually did. Still, I didn’t expect it to be retired. From other blogs and message board posts, I’m glad I’m not the only one caught off guard.

I can imagine there’s more frustration for those who were using ADS more consistently. I was ok not going “all in” on learning and using ADS, but it can be a tough decision to make.

Take Microsoft Fabric for example. When it was announced in 2023, it felt to me like it was everywhere, and it seemed like I had to jump on the bandwagon or I was going to be left behind. I didn’t have anywhere valuable to apply it in my work role, and I made the decision to hold off and see how things shook out.

Reading feedback from users over the last few weeks, Microsoft Fabric reviews are mixed at best. That doesn’t mean Microsoft Fabric won’t be around for years to come, but it’s not at the top of my list of learning priorities.

With that said, I maintain the belief that learning is never a waste of time. Even if you can’t use something right away or even if it gets retired, you still improved yourself by learning and may be able to take that knowledge and apply it in other ways.

I want to learn it all, but that’s not feasible. There will be things I try to learn simply because they interest me. There’s definitely no harm in that. Besides learning for fun, if a tool or program is new and can be integrated into my current role, or if I see something repeatedly popping up where it’s desirable for other roles, then those are going to be at the top of my list as well.

Following this approach has served me well thus far and I plan on sticking to that approach in the future.

Thanks for reading!