SQL Azure represents Microsoft’s cloud-based delivery of its enterprise-caliber, SQL Server database management system (formerly under the code name "Oslo"). Pro SQL Azure introduces you to this new platform, showing you how to program and administer it in a variety of cloud computing scenarios. You’ll learn to program SQL Azure from Silverlight, ASP.NET, WinForms, and from SQL Reporting Services. You’ll also understand how to manage the platform by planning for scalability, troubleshooting performance issues, and implementing strong security.

• Shows how to use SQL Azure from Silverlight, ASP.NET, and more
• Covers management, scalability, and troubleshooting
• Addresses the all-important issue of securing your data

What you’ll learn

• Create and manage SQL Azure databases
• Access SQL Azure from Silverlight, WinForms, ASP.NET, Reporting Services, and more
• Optimize your distributed database design for scalability and performance
• Partition your databases and write multithreaded queries for parallel execution
• Understand how to take advantage of Microsoft’s S+S strategy to save money and increase agility with hybrid cloud computing
• Use ADO.NET and LINQ in .NET 4 with Visual Studio 2010
• Pinpoint where SQL Azure makes things simpler than running on-premise databases
• Understand when to apply new technologies to optimize performance when running your database in the cloud
• Pinpoint where SQL Azure makes things simpler than running on-premise databases
• Understand when to apply new technologies to optimize performance when running your database in the cloud

Who this book is for

Pro SQL Azure is for database administrators and developers who want to use SQL Server in the cloud, and especially for those who want to go deeper and learn important strategies and techniques for effective cloud computing.

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started with SQL Azure
2. Design Considerations
3. Setting Up and Configuring
4. Security
5. Data Migration and Backup Strategies
6. Programming with SQL Azure
7. OData with SQL Azure
8. Reporting Services with SQL Azure
9. Windows Azure and ASP.NET
10. Designing for High Performance
11. SQL Azure Data Sync Services
12. Performance Tuning
13. Houston
14. SQL Azure Quick Reference