Create CLR assembly in Azure SQL Managed Instance (MI)

Creating a CLR assembly in Azure SQL Managed Instance (MI) follows a similar process to on-premises SQL Server, but with key differences due to the cloud-managed nature of the service—most notably, you cannot reference local file paths.

1. Enable CLR Integration

CLR integration is disabled by default. You must enable it at the instance level using the sp_configure system stored procedure.

EXEC sp_configure 'clr enabled', 1;
RECONFIGURE;

2. Produce the CREATE ASSEMBLY command including the Binary Hex Literal

Most likely, the developer will give us a .dll file. As mentioned earlier, MI cannot access the local file path. Therefore, as a DBA, you can use your own local machine, install the free SQL Server Express edition, and then use the .dll to create the assembly in your local SQL Express first. After that, generate the CREATE ASSEMBLY from your local SQL Express, connect to the MI, and execute the CREATE ASSEMBLY script there.

-- in your local SQL Express
CREATE ASSEMBLY HelloWorld

FROM 'C:\Path\HelloWorld.dll'

WITH PERMISSION_SET = SAFE;

How to generate the CREATE ASSEMBLY from your local SQL Express: