Mikael Sand - Trying to be different

Presented by: David Robinson & Lance Delano (not listed in catalogue)
Video here.

Basic info about SQL Azure

The best thing about SQL Azure is that in order to get database storage you do not have to provision servers in the, often expensive, data center at your local shop. It might also be that in order to actually get a database server and storage, you have to wait for weeks. (Mind you this is not often the case but used to scare little architects).

The worst thing about SQL Azure is that it does not have all the features of the proper thing. Microsoft are, however, working on that. Not only did they introduce SQL Azure Reporting but they are expanding the SQL Azure platform as well. They have also “promised” to bring out BI as a service and eventually analysis server. The last thing being the obvious “two thumbs up”.

In order to use all this functionality you do not only have to wait until they are done but you also need to store your data in the cloud. This is not something that everyone is happy about. I guess you could use the new sync features and export in premise data to the cloud just for some data but then what data would that be?

New portal

So depending on how you look at it a big new feature of SQL Azure is the new Azure portal. That made David say that he felt like Steve J talking about “clean design”. I guess it looks nice and Silverlight (yes it is an adjective).

Introducing Juneau

The big thing is the new project codenamed “Juneau”. This is a new technology for having a common design surface for SQL Azure, SQL Server and BI. Juneau hooks into Visual Studio. You basically design a database, then script it for the target environment (2005/2008/SQL Azure) and just publish it. Like any other application that needs to be deployed, so that is familiar ground. This is also a nice and smooth way for working around the problem of developing against an Azure database but not being online. Also people have requested that it would be nice to know if a database design is “Azure compatible” before deploying to the cloud.

SQL Azure Federation

Now this is a concept that is better explained by those that are real database experts (I just pretend to be). However the main points are listed in the image and also this solves the 50 Gb database problem. That really must have an impact on the customer base.

Personally, I still think the main issue might not be the software or the level of security that (at least in my experience) has hampered the success of SQL Azure but rather that it’s still a big thing to migrate all your data and to “lose control” over it.

A much wiser person than me said that the shift to the cloud is a shift much like back when people stopped keeping all their money at home and started using banks instead. I guess the banks was not off to a flying start either.