Azure SQL Database does not provide any external access to the file system, so SQL Clone cannot create an image from it directly. However, it still possible to create a SQL Clone image from an Azure SQL Database by following these steps:

Export a BACPAC in Azure

SQL Clone will need both the database structure and data, so you’ll need to export the Azure SQL DB to a BACPAC which will contain both schema and data.

Import a local database copy from the BACPAC

You can do this with SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). Right click in the object explorer and “Import a Data Tier Application“, based on your BACPAC and provide the relevant information.

Create an image from the imported database

Now that you have a live copy of your Azure SQL Database you will be able to use SQL Clone to create an image from it.

The following script shows how you can automate these steps using PowerShell.

View "Create a new SQL Clone data image from an Azure SQL database.ps1" on GitHub