Aug 25, 2010 11:01 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has released a new update to its data platform in the Cloud, introducing fresh features and improving on existing capabilities.

SQL Azure Service Update 4 is available to customers leveraging the software giant’s Cloud platform as of August 24th, 2010.

One of the most important new features of the refresh is support for database copy, according to the Redmond company.

It’s not really that difficult to guess what exactly database copy allows customers to do, since the label is rather self-explanatory.

Wayne Walter Berry from the SQL Server team has offered a few highlights of the fourth update to SQL Azure, which readers will be able to find included below.

In addition to database copy, Microsoft has also worked to kick up a notch the help system. Specifically, the Redmond company focused on introducing new How-to documentation, set up to help users make the best of Microsoft’s SQL Server offering.

At the same time, Windows Azure customers will also be able to notice that the latest update to the Cloud-based data platform from Microsoft also catalyzed a step forward in the evolution of Project “Houston”.

Berry enumerated the most important changes introduced to SQL Server with Update 4, explaining the modifications, as well as providing additional details:

•Support for database copy: Database copy allows you to make a real-time complete snapshot of your database into a different server in the data center.

This new copy feature is the first step in backup support for SQL Azure, allowing you to get a complete backup of any SQL Azure database before making schema or database changes to the source database.

The ability to snapshot a database easily is our top requested feature for SQL Azure, and goes above and beyond our database center replication to keep your data always available. The MSDN Documentation with more information is entitled: Copying Databases in SQL Azure.

•Additional MSDN Documentation: MSDN has created a new section called Development: How-to Topics (SQL Azure Database) which has links to information about how to perform common programming tasks with Microsoft SQL Azure Database.

•Update on “Houston”: Microsoft project Microsoft Project Code-Named “Houston” (Houston) is a light weight web-based database management tool for SQL Azure.

Houston, which runs on top of Windows Azure is now available in multiple datacenters reducing the latency between the application and your SQL Azure database,” he stated.

With SQL Azure Database, Microsoft is offering customers a Cloud-based relational database service that has at its foundation SQL Server technologies.