Get Insight into SQL Azure Performance and Elasticity

  Microsoft Cloud adopters can now get insight into SQL Azure performance and elasticity by downloading free resources from the company.

The first edition of the Microsoft SQL Azure Performance and Elasticity Guide is available through the software giant’s Download Center to all customers looking to get the best out of the Cloud version of SQL Server.

The promise from Microsoft is that the guidance offered with the resource will help optimize the performance of Windows Azure applications built to leverage SQL Azure.

“SQL Azure performance guidance can be divided into two distinct categories: optimizing performance of applications running on a single SQL Azure Database and increasing performance of SQL Azure applications by scaling out across multiple SQL Azure Databases,” Microsoft revealed.

It’s important to note that Microsoft has worked to provide customers with a collection of best practices covering SQL Azure app performance optimization.

In this regard, developers will be able to follow a SQL Azure performance checklist, as early as the planning stage of a new project, but also throughout the actual development process.

Additional information is provided on how to deal with SQL Azure applications throttling as well as with deprovisioning databases to cut costs when usage allows it.

“If an application is running against a single SQL Azure Database, then it becomes particularly important to avoid connection throttling due to excessive resource usage. This document recommends several best practices to optimize performance of applications running against a single SQL Azure Database,” the company added.

“If an application can make use of multiple SQL Azure Databases, then the application developer should determine how best to leverage SQL Azure’s elasticity or the ability to scale-out/scale-in as demand increases and decreases.

“Applications written to take advantage of SQL Azure elasticity can quickly scale out without the requirement of procuring and maintaining additional hardware and software since these resources are maintained in the datacenter for use as needed.”