Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
The Import/Export Service
Up until now, the focus has been on the client side; importing and exporting from SQL Server to a BACPAC. The
Import/Export service is designed to import and export directly between Windows Azure SQL Database and Windows
Azure BLOB storage. This service has been available in production since late January 2012 and is free of charge. No
sign-ups, no codes to enter. Just go use it. How? The Import/Export service is built directly into the Windows Azure
Management Portal via two buttons on the lower Ribbon bar: Import and Export.
Import
In this section, you will upload the BACPAC file to BLOB storage and then import it into an entirely new SQL
Database instance using the Import/Export service. The first step is to upload the
AWMini.bacpac
to Windows Azure
BLOB storage. If you haven't created a Windows Azure storage account, select the Storage tab in the left navigation
pane, and then select New
➤
Storage
➤
Quick Create from the lower New menu. Type in the name of the Storage
account into the URL field, select the Region and Subscription, and click Create Storage Account.
With the storage account created, select the account name in the portal; then select the Containers tab. On
the lower menu bar, select Add Container to create a container in which to upload the BACPAC. In the New Blob
Container dialog, enter a name for the container (I called mine bacpac), and then click the check (OK) button.
The next step is to upload the AWMini BACPAC into the storage account and container. Currently this option
is not available in the Windows Azure Management Portal, but there are several tools that can help you do this. On
CodePlex is a project called Azure Storage Explorer (
http://azurestorageexplorer.codeplex.com/
)
, a utility for
viewing and managing Windows Azure storage (BLOBs, tables, and queues). RedGate also has a utility called Cloud
Storage Studio (
www.cerebrata.com/Products/CloudStorageStudio/
)
, which provides a rich set of functionality for
managing your Windows Azure storage. There are a few more out on the Internet, but these two are the most popular.
Either of these two tools will allow you to quickly and easily upload the
AWMini.bacpac
to your BLOB container.
Once the BACPAC is uploaded into BLOB storage, log into the Windows Azure Management Portal at
https://manage.windowsazure.com
with the Windows Live ID that is associated with your Windows Azure
subscription. Once logged in to the portal, select the SQL Databases node in the left navigation pane. If you have
any SQL Database instances, the lower section of the portal will display Import and Export buttons, as shown in
Figure
4-11
. Otherwise, only an Import button will be visible.
