The document provides an overview of integration features between SQL Server 2014 and Windows Azure. It discusses capabilities like deploying a SQL database to an Azure virtual machine, storing database data files in Azure storage, backing up SQL databases to Azure storage, and using Azure virtual machines for disaster recovery of SQL Server databases through availability group replicas. The document contains disclaimers that it provides overviews rather than technical details and that some demos may fail due to bugs in the preview release. It also includes contact information for the presenter.

1. SQL Server 2014 –
The Hybrid platform
Integration with Windows Azure features in SQL Server 2014

2. About me
Shy Engelberg, SQL Server consultant.
shy.engelberg@hynt.co.il
054-7717115
@ShyEngelberg
www.blogs.Microsoft.co.il/ShyEngel
www.hynt.co.il
www.facebook.com/HYNTil

3. Disclaimer
• This presentation is mostly an overview of capabilities, not a technical
drilldown.
• I will talk a lot about cost, but I will not go into detailed pricing.
• The demos are to show you how it’s done, not to dive in.
• Some or all of the DBs in the demos are empty.
• There are some demos that fail. Bugs are opened in Connect. (it’s a
CTP after all)
• I will try to answer questions, but not sure if time permits.
if I will not answer your question, feel free to contact me after the
presentation or in any other way.

4. Agenda
• About the Cloud
• Windows Azure storage
• Deploy DB to Azure VM
• Windows Azure VMs
• Data files in windows Azure
• Backup to Azure
• DR to the cloud

5. The Cloud
• Has been around since the internet became public. (almost forever)
• It’s just a trendy buzzword that means receiving services from a
remote provider, usually over the internet.

6. How and why did it start?
Demand - IT Organizations and
End users
• No hardware acquisition costs
• No software licenses or upgrades
to manage
• No facilities to lease
• No capital costs of any kind — and
no hidden costs.
Just a metered, per-use rate or a
fixed subscription fee. Use only
what you want, pay only for what
you use.
Supply – Technology companies
and one large book shop
• Large-scale Internet service
providers built out their
infrastructure. Architecture
emerged: massively scaled,
horizontally distributed system
resources, abstracted as virtual IT
services and managed as
continuously configured, pooled
resources.

7. Service Models
IaaS PaaS SaaS

8. The cloud market
• 2013: 40% Of CRM Systems Sold Are SaaS-Based.
• Cloud growth is 5X that of the IT industry overall.
• Global cloud computing services revenue is expected to hit $148.8
billion come 2014
• Public IT cloud services spending will reach $98 billion in 2016
• early-stage companies (less than five years in business) are the most
eager buyers of cloud and plan to increase their spend on public
cloud by 24% over the next few years.

9. Windows Azure in the cloud market
• Visionary in the market of Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (Gartner,
August 2013)
• Leader in the Enterprise Application Platform as a Service market
(Gartner, January 2014)
• Averaging 8,000 new customers a week
• Windows Azure uses more server compute than the entire planet
used in 2000
• More information is stored in Windows Azure than has been printed
in history
• Commercial cloud services revenue more than doubled.
Azure customers both grew triple-digits. (2014 Q2 report)

10. Hybrid - The Power of ‘And’
• Customers don’t want to rip and replace their current
infrastructure to benefit from the cloud; they
want the strengths of their on-premises
investments and the flexibility of the cloud
• The cloud should be an enabler for innovation, and an extension
of your organization’s IT fabric
• by 2020, about 80% of the world’s 2,000 largest companies will
still have greater than 50% of their IT onsite.

11. Windows Azure

12. Windows Azure
DEMO

13. Azure Storage
• Scalable, durable, and available
• Anywhere at anytime access
• Only pay for what the service uses
• Use from Windows Azure Compute
• Use from anywhere on the internet
• Support Geo-Replication

14. Blob Storage Concepts

15. Azure Storage
DEMO

16. SQL 2014 and Azure

17. Deploy DB to Windows Azure VM
A new wizard in the SSMS

18. Azure Virtual machines
• Choose the right size for you, you can scale at any time.
• Choose a location.
• Choose an image or create one of your own.
• Attach storage disks (blobs).
• Open ports using Endpoints.

19. Deploy DB to Windows Azure VM
• Nothing new technology-wise, it’s just a new wizard.

20. Deploy DB to Windows Azure VM
DEMO

21. Basic VM management
DEMO

22. Hybrid DB
Data files in the cloud

23. Hybrid DB
• New in SQL Server 2014- you can put any data file in the cloud.
• Create Credentials to allow access of the windows service to the
storage accountcontainer.
• Create you data files directly on a URL, no changes or additions
to the T-SQL syntax.

24. Hybrid DB - Advantages
• Almost Bottomless storage with very low cost.
• Data redundancy is included for free.
• No storage maintenance overhead.
• Separate compute and storage.

25. Hybrid DB – concerns
• Yes, I know, performance is an issue:
• Choose wisely what data to place in the cloud:
DB that is not IO intensive.
Better to place files that has more reads than writes.
• When the server (compute) is on Azure VM, performance is good.
• Security might be a concern:
• Use TDE
• Choose the right geo location.

26. Hybrid DB – use cases
• Simple DR solution for cases that the server hardware or
software is failing (no data loss)
• Migration between servers in different locations
• Large DWH with ColumnStore indexes - read once from cloud,
and keep in server memory.
• If data loss is possible, use in combination with delayed
durability (new in SQL Server 2014)
• Large read-only Filegroups

27. Hybrid DB
DEMO

28. Backup to Azure storage

29. Backup to Azure storage
• Also known as backup to URL
• Exists since SQL Server 2012 SP1 CU2 (build 11.00.3339) but
only through T-SQL, SMO and PowerShell.
• New in SQL Server 2014 – support in the Backup and Restore
wizard and maintenance plan.
• Flexible, reliable (3- copies, geo-DR), limitless off-site storage.

30. Backup to Azure storage - Advantages
• Reduced cost for storage that is usually not used.
• No Media and hardware management.
• Can be used as a Backup Archive by offering a better alternative to
the often used tape option to archive backups (backup to tape is
deprecated)
• Near bottomless.
• Off-site storage for backups.
• Built-in Geo redundancy.
• Remote accessibility.
• For the security lovers: Backup now supports Encryption.

31. Backup to Azure storage
DEMO

32. Microsoft® SQL Server® Backup to Microsoft Windows® Azure®Tool
• Allows backup of DBs from other SQL version to Azure (2005-
2012)
• Supports DB encryption and compression as well
• Free!
• Runs as a windows service with a specific hard-coded account
name

33. Microsoft® SQL Server® Backup to Microsoft Windows® Azure®Tool
DEMO

34. DR in the cloud

35. DR in the cloud
• DRP is a must for mission critical applications and databases.
• DR cost a lot of money to create and maintain.
• Creating a DR in the cloud can save most of the cost of initial
building the environment.
• The maintenance is easier, and cost a lot less.
• You can choose your geo location.
• Use the DR site to off-load some of your workload from the
main site.

36. Always-on Availability group replica in Azure
VM
• Not new in SQL Server 2014, but complicated to implement till
now.
• In 2014 – a new Wizard that allows us to save time on
configuration.
• Still requires some infrastructure work and configurations:
• VPN from ON-premise domain to the Azure virtual network.

37. Always-ON Availability group Replica on Azure wizard
NO DEMO 

38. Questions?

39. Thank you.