Windows Azure SQL Database

Windows Azure SQL Database (formerly called SQL Azure Database), a part of the Windows Azure platform, provides a cloud-based relational database service hosted in Microsoft’s data centers.

Windows Azure SQL Database offers many of the features of the on-premises SQL Server database management system, including support for the T-SQL query language, which will help organizations leverage existing developer skills when migrating on-premises applications to the cloud or creating hybrid applications that are deployed in both places. Premium offerings for Windows Azure SQL Database (formerly SQL Azure) arrived in a preview during July 2013. When they are formally released, likely in the first half of 2014, they will enable better performance for business applications than current offerings. Two new tiers of service, announced at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in July 2013, may make the service more appealing to ISVs and organizations that may have investigated building high-performance applications on Windows Azure but require guaranteed processor and RAM resources to deliver high-performance applications. In June 2012, the SQL Reporting feature (formerly called Reporting Services) of Windows Azure SQL Database became generally available, enabling application reporting functions to move to Azure.