Recover Azure SQL Database After Free Trial Expiration

There is no documented self-service, no-cost export path while the Free Trial subscription and DigitalHeroesDb remain disabled; submit an Azure billing support request immediately and ask whether Microsoft can temporarily enable access for data export before deletion.

What to do now

1. In the Azure portal, open Help + support → Create a support request.
2. Select a Billing or Subscription management issue; Azure documents billing support through the portal. ^1^
3. Include:
   • The subscription ID.
   • Database: DigitalHeroesDb.
   • Logical server: digitalheroes-sql-ci-2026.
   • The exact connection error.
   • The Free Trial expiration date and any deletion deadline shown in email or the portal.
   • A clear request for temporary reactivation solely to export the database, explaining that paid conversion is unavailable.
4. Do not delete the database, server, resource group, or subscription while the case is open.

Microsoft’s published Free Trial recovery route is upgrading the subscription: when Free Trial credit expires, Azure disables the subscription, and continued use requires an upgrade. Microsoft does not document an entitlement to temporary free reactivation for export, so support can assess the retained resource but cannot be assumed to grant the request. ^2^

The official material supplied here does not establish a guaranteed retention period specifically for an expired Free Trial. The documented 30–90-day data-retention window applies after subscription cancellation, so it should not be treated as the deadline for this disabled Free Trial. ^3^ Use the date shown in your Azure notice and open the support request before that date.

Why the visible database cannot simply be downloaded

Azure SQL automated backups are service-managed:

• They cannot be downloaded or accessed directly.
• Azure uses them to create restored databases.
• Restore creates a new billable database and requires suitable Azure RBAC permissions.
• Backups disappear when their configured retention period expires. ^4^

Therefore, seeing DigitalHeroesDb in the portal does not mean its database engine or backups are available for export while the subscription is disabled.

The missing Backups page is also not an alternative download route. For long-term retention (LTR), the portal path is SQL logical server → Data Management → Backups, but this displays available LTR backups only if LTR was configured; even then, the backup is restored through Azure rather than downloaded. ^4^

If support temporarily reactivates access

Export immediately:

1. Test that the database state is Online and that a normal SQL connection succeeds.
2. Prefer SqlPackage to write a BACPAC directly to local storage, avoiding the portal export’s requirement for an Azure Storage account. SqlPackage is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. ^5^
3. Run an export such as:

SqlPackage /Action:Export ^
  /TargetFile:"DigitalHeroesDb.bacpac" ^
  /SourceConnectionString:"Server=tcp:digitalheroes-sql-ci-2026.database.windows.net,1433;Initial Catalog=DigitalHeroesDb;Authentication=Active Directory Interactive;Encrypt=True;"

SqlPackage still requires a working connection to the online database. It cannot export an offline database or extract data directly from Azure’s automated backups. A portal export instead requires an existing storage account/container and database credentials. ^5^

If support cannot enable access and paid reactivation is impossible, the supplied Microsoft documentation identifies no supported mechanism to recover the data locally. Once the subscription or retained data has been permanently deleted, reactivation is unavailable. ^2^

References

1. Cost Management + Billing frequently asked questions (FAQ)
2. Reactivate a disabled Azure subscription
3. Cancel and delete your Azure subscription
4. Restore a database from a backup in Azure SQL Database
5. Export to a BACPAC file - Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance