February 2012 Entries

Ways To Load Data In SQL Azure

This blog provides links to a presentation and a sample application that shows how to load data in SQL Azure using different techniques and tools. The presentation compares the following techniques: INSERT, BCP, INSERT BULK, SQLBulkCopy and a few tools like SSIS and Enzo Data Copy. The presentation contains load tests performed from a local machine with 4 CPUs, using 8 threads (leveraging the Task Parallel Library), to a SQL Azure database using the code provided below. The test loads 40,000 records. ......
Posted On Tuesday, February 7, 2012 5:35 AM | Comments (0)

How To Copy A Schema Container To Another SQL Azure Database

This article is written to assist SQL Azure customers to copy a SCHEMA container from one SQL Azure database to another. Schema separation (or compress shard) is a technique used by applications that hold multiple customer “databases” inside the same physical database, but separated logically by a SCHEMA container. At times it may be necessary to copy a given SCHEMA container from one database to another. Copying a SCHEMA container from one database to another can be very difficult because you need ......
Posted On Monday, February 6, 2012 7:07 PM | Comments (0)

Quick Review of Backup tools for SQL Azure

The landscape of SQL Azure backups is changing rapidly. A few tools are becoming available at no charge and Microsoft is adding capabilities over time. Here a quick update.Microsoft ToolsMicrosoft offers two primary backup mechanisms so far:Export/Import feature available on the Azure Management portalThe COPY operation as part of its T-SQL CREATE DATABASE statementThese mechanisms do not offer a scheduling component and do not work together. To obtain a transactionally consistent backup, you first ......
Posted On Thursday, February 2, 2012 2:40 AM | Comments (0)