Trying to enable Copilot for Cosmos DB.

Dylan Olney 140 Reputation points
2026-09-16T10:04:00.0333333+00:00

Hi,

I have developed a web application for a clinical trials company using an Azure web app service, and a Cosmos DB instance. The app is in production and they use it in their daily operations. However, they have recently requested the ability to query the database using natural language, via the web app.

For example, they might type in something like "How many participants in study X are over the age of 75?". On the back-end, MS Copilot for Cosmas DB would then process this text, generate an actual Cosmos query, execute it, and return a result.

Is this even something that MS Copilot for Cosmas DB can do? The thing is, is that I can't seem to enable it in the Azure portal so that I can play around with it and see how it works.

I followed some steps which said it must firstly be registered under the “Preview Features” section in the subscription. Once registered here, the option to enable it should appear under the “Features” section of the Cosmos DB instance.

I successfully registered it under "Preview Features", yet the option to enable it in the “Features” section of cosmos DB is not there. It just doesn't appear in the checkbox list of things that can be enabled. Neither can I see any sign of this feature in the data explorer.

Any advice or help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Your truly,
Dylan Olney

Azure Cosmos DB
Azure Cosmos DB

An Azure NoSQL database service for app development.

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  1. Dylan Olney 140 Reputation points
    2026-09-17T14:24:14.7266667+00:00

    It turns out I was barking up the wrong tree with MS Copilot for Cosmos DB. Even if I could enable it, it is exclusively a feature within the Azure Portal UI and the Azure CLI. There is no way to programmatically send user text to it and receive a query back. A quick query on Google AI said that I'll need to construct my own Text-to-NoSQL engine using an LLM ( Large Language Model, such as Azure OpenAI, or OpenAI ). How to go about this, I have no idea yet...

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  2. kagiyama yutaka 5,490 Reputation points
    2026-09-17T08:31:13.6866667+00:00

    I think Copilot for Cosmos DB has never been part of the Portal UI, so nothing appears under Features. Copilot is just in the Cosmos DB extension in VS Code, and NL→SQL in an app is done by wiring Azure OpenAI yourself. The preview toggle shown in old docs never shipped in the Portal.

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  3. Senthil kumar 2,500 Reputation points
    2026-09-17T05:26:28.6666667+00:00

    Hi @Dylan Olney

    I will give some tips you can check in your side and give your feed back.

    Prerequisite :

    first check below prerequisite in your side.

    Copilot for Cosmos DB can generate natural‑language queries → SQL → execute → return results.

    But you cannot enable it unless your Cosmos DB account meets all of these conditions:

    ✔ Azure subscription must be Pay‑As‑You‑Go or Enterprise

    Free trial subscriptions cannot enable Copilot for Cosmos DB.

    ✔ Cosmos DB must be Core (SQL) API

    Mongo, Cassandra, Gremlin, Table API → not supported.

    ✔ Region must be one of the supported Copilot regions

    Copilot is not available in all Azure regions.

    ✔ Account must be vCore‑based serverless or provisioned throughput

    Some older accounts created before 2023 cannot enable Copilot.

    This is why the checkbox never appears.

    Solution :

    Solution 1:

    Build your own NL → SQL pipeline using Azure OpenAI

    This is the recommended production approach.

    Pipeline:

    User enters natural language

    Azure OpenAI generates SQL

    Backend validates SQL (very important)

    Backend executes SQL against Cosmos DB

    Return results

    This works today, in any region, any subscription.

    Solution 2 :

    Create a new Cosmos DB account in a supported region

    If you want to experiment with Copilot inside the portal:

    Create a new Cosmos DB Core (SQL) account

    Region: East US, West US, West Europe, or South Central US

    Subscription: Pay‑As‑You‑Go (not free trial)

    Then the Copilot toggle will appear.

    Thanks.

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