SQL Azure
This article is an overview of the general concept of cloud computing, as well as a new technology introduced by Microsoft under the name SQL Azure . Authors: I and zzzhenya habrauzer .
Introduction
Imagine that you have an idea of ​​creating an innovative startup, which, for example, will be a new social network. You need to quickly develop the technological base for your startup. Plus, this should require minimal financial injections. And it would be very cool if the created infrastructure for a social network did not need constant support, maintenance and control from the developers. It seems that all together these requirements are completely unrealistic to satisfy. But no, you can consider using cloud technologies as an option.
Cloud Benefits
Cloud technology is a data processing concept in which data is calculated and stored in the cloud - a remote data center. All the functions of providing and managing low-level infrastructure are taken over by the “cloud”, completely hiding these details from the user. Among the advantages of organizing such calculations are the following:
- Availability. The service is provided via the Internet and is available around the clock, subject to the functioning of the server provider.
- The use of virtualization technology to make computing resources autonomous and mutually independent.
- Extensibility, scalability . Processing and storage of data is carried out on servers of remote data centers and distributed across physical machines, providing exactly the power that the user needs.
- The condition of payment by subscription and for the actual level of resources consumed (“pay as you go” ) - the consumer pays exactly for the amount of computing power that was used. In addition, such an organization of payment significantly reduces the level of capital costs, which is crucial when choosing a technology for a startup.
- Easy to use. The user does not need to care about the infrastructure and maintenance of data processing and storage.
One of the providers of cloud technologies will soon be Microsoft, which is entering the market with a cloud platform called the Windows Azure Platform . This platform provides both the computing power of its data centers, managed by the Windows Azure cloud operating system, and the remote database. Most importantly, .NET developers can now deploy, for example, their ASP.NET application in the cloud, using their skills to work with the .NET platform.
Definition and main characteristics of SQL Azure
One of the components of cloud technologies provided by Microsoft is a service to provide the functionality of a cloud database called SQL Azure.
SQL Azure is a projection of traditional SQL Server on the cloud, providing opportunities for working with a database through Internet services. This technology allows you to store structured and unstructured information, execute relational queries, and also provides functionality for searching, creating analytical reports, integrating and synchronizing data. Currently, SQL Azure supports relational database services called the SQL Azure Database.
SQL Azure Database is a cloud relational database platform built on SQL Server technologies. Using this platform, you can easily build a relational database project in the cloud with all the benefits provided by any cloud technology. In addition, SQL Azure provides a high level of security with built-in data protection, self-healing and backup system.
The two main innovations in SQL Azure are the transition to the relational structure and the use of T-SQL. These innovations provide developers with a whole range of benefits. First, the advantages of the relational data structure (ease of storage and processing). Secondly, the use of the usual query language that allows you to use the skills of working with SQL Server as well as working with libraries ADO.NET and interfaces ODBC and OleDB.
Due to the transition to T-SQL, users have the opportunity not only to use the standard REST-protocol functionality (getting / adding / deleting a unit of information), but also all the advantages of T-SQL (creating / deleting tables / relationships, performing various queries, etc.). ). However, the developers still left the possibility of access via the REST protocol in SQL Azure, which can then be implemented through a “binding” to ADO.NET. Connecting to databases can be done both from the web (for example, Azure), and from a local application, and data management is provided by the SQL Server Management Studio functionality. Thus, like all SQL Azure concepts, support for high levels of scalability, constant availability (99.9% of monthly availability as agreed with the user), self-healing, multiple mirroring, and much more remained unchanged.
If in previous versions there was no support for the data scheme, minimal relational functionality was introduced, then users now have the opportunity to work with the traditional RDBMS data model. As for working with non-relational data structure, now it can be implemented in Windows Azure storage (by the way, with a lower payment level, only 15 cents for 1 GB and 1 cent for every 10 thousand transactions compared to the minimum payment level SQL Azure 9, $ 99 for 1 GB). However, it should be remembered that SQL Azure Database has some advantages over a conventional database in the cloud: the infrastructure for setting up, installing and managing databases is also provided in SQL Azure Database.
In addition, in the future release of SQL Azure Database, the developers promise to create a full-fledged web-based interface for accessing and managing information stored in the cloud and provide all the software and documentation for supporting additional programming languages.
Thus, in the most general case, your use of a SQL Azure cloud database can be based on existing skills of working with a local database, so transfer and subsequent use of a database in the cloud will not require any special additional resources and efforts.
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Pricing Policy and SQL Azure Release Date
There are two options for using SQL Azure services:
The web edition includes up to 1 GB to create a relational, self-managing database with high availability. This model is best suited for web applications. The cost of a monthly subscription is $ 9.99.
Second, the business edition includes up to 10 GB of a self-managed and constantly accessible database. In addition, for this proposal includes additional functionality, such as automatic separation of the database into parts, CLR-programming and much more. This edition is intended for large-scale business applications and costs 99.99 dollars per month.
In addition, the costs also include the payment of incoming (10 cents per 1 GB) and outgoing - (15 cents per 1 GB) traffic. As for plans to launch the technology into release, then at WPC 2009 it was announced that a free preliminary technology version was available ( CTP) SQL Azure, and the release of the commercial version is scheduled for November 2009 at PDC 2009. Therefore, you can try the technology in action now to take full advantage of the commercial version of the product in the future. More detailed information, as well as examples of working with SQL Azure, can be found at www.azure.com in the Resources section.
Conclusion
Thus, although SQL Azure is based on SQL Server technologies, it presents new opportunities such as high levels of scalability, constant availability and self-management, providing customers with easy and convenient ways of working through the Internet without requiring special skills or knowledge from applicable with traditional SQL Server technologies.
Links to materials:
1) http://www.azure.com/
2) http://blogs.msdn.com/ssds/
3) http://www.microsoft.com/azure/sql.mspx
4) http://www.brentozar.com/ ..
5) http://www.itcommunity.ru/ ..
6) http://way2cloud.com/ ..
7) http://dev.net.ua/blogs/kosinsky/ ..
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/66815/
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