What happened to U-SQL?

As of October 26, 2023, U-SQL is officially retired and no longer supported in Azure Data Lake Analytics. This means you can no longer create new U-SQL scripts or execute existing ones within the service.

Reasons for retiring U-SQL:

• Limited adoption: Compared to more widely used languages like T-SQL and Python, U-SQL saw a relatively low adoption rate.
• Evolving ecosystem: The data and analytics landscape has shifted towards broader ecosystems like Spark and Python, offering wider functionality and community support.
• Focus on integration: Microsoft is focusing on tighter integration between Azure Data Lake Analytics and other services like Azure Synapse Analytics and Databricks, which offer more flexibility and scalability for big data processing.

Impact on existing users:

If you currently use U-SQL in your Azure Data Lake Analytics workflows, you'll need to migrate your scripts to alternative languages.

Options for migration:

• T-SQL: For simpler data processing tasks within Azure Data Lake Analytics.
• Python: If you need more flexibility and access to a wider range of libraries and tools.
• Apache Spark: For complex data processing and analytics workloads, especially if you plan to migrate to Azure Synapse Analytics or Databricks in the future.

Microsoft provides resources and guidance to help with the migration process:

• U-SQL to T-SQL migration guide
• U-SQL to Python migration guide
• Azure Data Lake Analytics documentation

In summary, while U-SQL served its purpose and helped shape the early days of big data processing in Azure, its retirement reflects the evolving landscape and Microsoft's focus on integration and broader ecosystem support.