The following two lists give general suggestions to help you decide whether to use SSMS or Azure Data Studio.
Use SQL Server Management Studio if you:
- Spend most of your time on database administration tasks
- Perform sophisticated administrative tasks
- Perform security management, including user management, vulnerability assessment, and configuration of security features
- Need to make use of performance tuning advisors
Use Azure Data Studio if you:
- Need to run your front-end tool on Linux or macOS
- Spend most of your time editing or executing queries
- Need the ability to quickly chart and visualize result sets
Source: Petkovic Dusan (2020), Microsoft SQL Server 2019: A Beginner’s Guide, Seventh Edition-McGraw-Hill Education.