Microsoft SQL Azure - Microsoft Takes SQL Databases to the Clouds
By Rob Collins
A brand new Microsoft SQL technology just hit the marketplace on January 1, 2010. Or
maybe it would be better to say that a re-branded Microsoft technology just hit the marketplace.
Azure services is Microsoft's most significant step into cloud computing. It functions as a
complete platform in the cloud with computing, storage and fabric-tying individual systems
into an integrated network that can balance processing load or share resources.
What is SQL Azure?
The part that is most pertinent for this review is how Azure relates to SQL. Microsoft
used to call this service SQL Server Data Services and then SQL Services before recently changing
it finally to SQL Azure. The name change just represents another step in the same direction
that SQL server has already been headed with cloud computing.
SQL Azure provides data storage "in the cloud," much like Amazon S3 and many Google Apps.
One of the big advantages for SQL Azure is that relational queries can be made against data
stored in the cloud, regardless of whether they are structured, semi-structured or unstructured
documents. Besides making data queries, users can also search, analyze, or synchronize with
SQL data stored by Azure.
Once your information is uploaded to SQL Azure, applications can make direct queries
to the data in the cloud through the Internet. This works for local or cloud-based applications
(such as applications that run in the computing portion of Microsoft's Azure services). Provisionment
and synchronization should be seamless between local SQL servers and the SQL Azure database.
Microsoft also guarantees high fault tolerance by keeping multiple available copies of your
data.
Why Use SQL Azure?
Microsoft claims that the major advantage SQL Azure provides is less maintenance. The
service eliminates your need to store and manage SQL databases locally. In theory, administrators
shouldn't have to install database software or worry about setup, patching and managing their
server systems. Nor are there hardware needs with servers, disaster recovery, or high availability.
Physical maintenance and administration is unnecessary, so companies can feasibly save on staffing
costs as well. If the headache of managing database servers is getting to you, this may be
a great option.
One of the other advantages is easy scalability. If you need to increase or decrease
your database storage, Microsoft takes care of that too. This is one of the differences between
SQL Azure and other hosting services: data storage is distributed between multiple nodes and
you simply pay as you go for the storage used. SQL Azure can work as an adjunct to existing
database hardware. If you expect a sudden spike in data needs or even want to be prepared in
case one happens unexpectedly, Azure can be available for heavy times, but you can return to
local or other storage when the need is gone.
Another advantage of scalability is that it provides workable but cost-effective service
for the database needs of small and medium-sized businesses.
Microsoft also expects Azure services to enable independent software writers who want
to offer their software as a service (SaaS). Azure services can provide for all of the computing
needs this model requires, but of course, SQL Azure would meet the database needs for this
software. Feasibly, this could even simplify data security, since Microsoft is responsible
for storing it. Line of Business (LOB) applications built on Azure computing services could
use SQL Azure in the same way.
As with any kind of cloud computing, one final advantage is that the information is available
for any applications or queries as long as they are connected to the Internet. But one related
benefit of moving SQL databases to the cloud is that it consolidates data (such as databases
in multiple departments of a large company) and integrates information better. This should
enable more complex queries that stretch across multiple database tables.
Putting all of these together, the simple advantage is an economy of scale: the cost
of letting Microsoft do SQL should be easily less than the total cost of hardware, software,
and maintenance (TCO).
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