Reach for the Sky… Script a Database for SQL Azure

While there are many different ways to get your database up and running into the cloud. You could read up on SQL Azure Sync Framework in my post titled “Synchronizing a Local Database with the Cloud using SQL Azure Sync Framework”.

However, nothing feels more comfortable to a developer than something that familiar. After a little bit of investigating while preparing for my talk at Confoo on SQL Azure, I managed to find a post on the MSDN website that Explains what is needed in order to use the Generate Scripts Wizard in SQL Server Management Studio.

Create the Transact-SQL Script

1. In Object Explorer, right-click the database, point to Tasks, and select Generate Scripts.

2. In the Script Wizard dialog box, click Next to get to the Select Database step. Select School, select Script all objects in the selected database, and then click Next.

3. In Choose Script Options, set the following options:

   • Convert UDDTs to Base Types = True
     
   • Script Extended Properties = False
     
   • Script Logins = False
     
   • Script USE DATABASE = False
     
   • Script Data = True
     

   SQL Azure does not support user-defined data types, extended properties, Windows authentication, or the USE statement.

4. Click Next, click Next, and then click Finish. The Script Wizard generates the script. Click Close when the script is completed.

5. In the generated script, delete all instances of "SET ANSI_NULLS ON".

6. Each CREATE TABLE statement includes a "WITH (PAD_INDEX = OFF, STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE = OFF, IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF, ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS = ON, ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS = ON) ON [PRIMARY]" clause. Delete all instances of that clause.

7. Each CREATE TABLE statement includes the "ON [PRIMARY]" clause. Delete all instances of that clause.

The reason you need to apply these changes to the script is that SQL Azure currently doesn’t support all the features of the currently release of SQL Server 2008.  There are plans to start to incorporate some of the features that are in this outline, including the USE statement.

Hopefully this will make your life easier on your move to the cloud. Until then, Happy Coding!

Register Early and Save…

Later on this year I’ll be heading to Saskatchewan to present on Windows Azure and SQL Azure at PrairieDevCon.  If you live in Canada, or are willing to travel, PrairieDevCon has shaped up to quite the event.  With 50 sessions presented by 25 Speakers (including myself) over 2 days.

 

I look forward to meeting the presenters and some new developers while I’m at the conference. Make sure you get your tickets early to save yourself some money, on two days of learning.

Living in a Virtual World

With the release of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 RC , like all Developers I wanted to get my hands on the latest tools.  However, due to the fact that I'm currently working on many things, I can’t switch environments completely just incase I run into any compatibility issues that may compromise a timeline.  To get around this I’ve decided to recruit the help of Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 SP1.

Using a Virtual Machine is a great alternative, but when you’re running VMs on an older laptop things seem a little bit slow.  My Laptop has a 2.0Ghz Processor with 2 Gigabytes of RAM. As you can imagine my machine gets pretty bogged down.  I can run Virtual PC without any issues, as long as I don’t run any other intensive processes.

Knowing that Visual Studio 2008 Installs in approximately 45 minutes, I expected Visual Studio 2010 would take closer to an hour or so.  After an hour and a half and the Installation  still wasn’t complete, I tried to figure out a way to get the install to run a bit faster. I took to the task manager for some answers. I right clicked on the Virtual PC Task in Task Manager, and changed the priority to high. The installation sped up and has been moving at a faster pace ever since.

If you find yourself working within a Virtual Machine and things are slowing down, I’d definitely suggest giving this a try.

Happy Coding!

Windows Azure Table Storage

I am currently in the middle of creating a Presentations on Windows Azure.  Included in this presentation is how to interact with Windows Azure Storage Services using the Managed Storage API.

While creating a class to manage connections to my Storage Service, I was writing a method to add some data to Table Storage. I had imported Microsoft.WindowsAzure.StorageClient, which is the namespace in which the Managed Storage API exists, that exposed only a few methods of the TableServiceContext class.  After looking around MSDN it seems that the TableServiceContext class is dependant on the System.Data.Services.Client.  The System.Data.Services.Client namespace is responsible for the majority of the functionality of the TableServiceContext class.

Add a reference to the System.Data.Services.Client namespace to your Project, when you are trying to use the Table functionality of Microsoft.WindowsAzure.StorageClient class.

Happy Coding!

Its been a while.…

First off I’d like to apologize for the lack of Posts during the month of January. Things got quite busy and I couldn’t dedicate any time towards posting on my blog, but I would like to know that I have been thinking about blogging and have been a little bit anxious because I haven’t been blogging.  I would however like to let you know that I will be taking a break from freelancing work to focus and blogging again for the next few months.

What you’ve missed

Just to catch you up on what’s been going on in my world.

Leaving RKD

After a short three months I decided to move on from my role at RKD Web Studios. I had a great time getting to know the staff, and really enjoyed the environment. It just didn’t feel like a proper fit within my career goals. Thank you very much guys for being extremely welcoming, and very understanding.

Starting at Innosphere

I left my position at RKD to pursue a career with Innosphere Systems Development Group. Innosphere is an outsourced software provider, they can provide developers to increase the size of your team, provide software testing or QA for a project, or take on a complete project depending on your needs.  I am working on site at a clients office re-building an existing php application to an asp.net code-base.

Windows Azure

If you haven’t already noticed I am quite focused on Windows Azure. I’ve been doing a lot of reading, even thought I haven’t been able to blog about it.  Make sure you keep checking out my blog in the coming weeks/months as I will be starting back into a regular schedule of blogs on everything Azure. Here are a few things i’ll be blogging about:

• Windows Identity Foundation (WIF)
• Interoperability in Windows Azure (PHP, Ruby, Python, etc..)
• SQL Azure
• Codename “Dallas”

If you want to see me present on Windows Azure you will be able to find me at the following events:

• CTTDNUG – Canadian Technology Triangle Dot Net User Group (February 24) [Register]
• FCDNUG – Forest City Dot Net User Group (February 26th) [Register]
• Confoo (March 10-12) [Register]

Community

Guelph Coffee and Code has been going very well. On March 4th we will be celebrating our One Year Anniversary.  There has been many ups and downs as you will experience with any social group, but I am confident in it’s purpose and hope to see the group grow more in the coming months.

At Canada’s Technology Triangle Dot Net User Group, I am still the speaker coordinator, and am looking for speakers for the coming months. If you’re interested in speaking on the last Wednesday of March, April, or May, please Contact me.

Is your application compatible with Windows® 7 and Windows Server® 2008 R2? Register and green light it before February 28, 2010, and you’ll automatically be entered in our Get the Green Light contest for a chance to win $7,000 or 1 of 5 Netbooks! Plus, you’ll get exclusive access to Partner benefits.

New Windows 7 features like Taskbar Progress and Taskbar menus are extremely useful. It’s one of the most helpful new features of Windows 7 (besides the Window Docking, which just ROCKS!), so you should be sure to build this functionality into your new applications that are getting targeted on the Windows Platform.

 

Volunteering

Last year I decided to give some of my time to help out at a Volunteering Event involving High  School students from around Guelph.  This year I’ve decided to join the Student Volunteer Engagement Committee.  I am the Community Volunteer on the Committee and hope that giving a small amount of my time will make a big impact on Students around the Guelph and Wellington District.  I hope to encourage youth to get actively involved in the community and volunteer their time towards a better tomorrow.

I’ll be helping to Organize, and will be taking photos at this years Ontario Youth Challenge!

The Challenge is three weeks long this year starting the week of National Volunteer Week. There will be a day long event on a Saturday during the challenge that will allow students to volunteer at a non-profit organization in Guelph.  All hours are part of the Ontario Government 40 Volunteer hour legislation.

 

I’m glad we’ve had the opportunity to catch up, I look forward to putting out some worth while content soon, so be sure to check back!

Until then, Happy Coding!

Cory Fowler