There are very few relational database systems as established and widespread as Microsoft's SQL Server. Azure SQL Database, released on February 1, 2010, is a cloud database service that is based on Microsoft's SQL Server.
It is compatible with most SQL Server features and is optimized for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications.
As organizations are adopting cloud computing and moving their applications into the cloud, Azure SQL Database offers everything that a Database-as-a-Service can offer. Azure SQL Database becomes a de facto DBaaS option for any organization with applications built on the SQL Server Database.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
Describe the architecture of Microsoft Azure SQL Database (Azure SQL Database)
Identify the differences between the on-premises SQL Server and Azure SQL Database
Provision an Azure SQL Database using the Azure Portal and Windows PowerShell
Azure SQL Database uses familiar T-SQL programming and a user interface which is well known and is also easier to adopt. It is therefore important for SQL Server database administrators and developers to learn Azure SQL Database.
This chapter covers the Azure SQL Database architecture in detail. After familiarizing yourself with the architecture, you'll learn how to provision Azure SQL Database by means of activities, explore pricing, settings, and its properties. You'll also identify the key differences between Azure SQL Database and SQL Server, mainly the SQL Server features that are not supported by Azure SQL Database.