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Straight talking advice on how to design and build enterprise applications for the cloud Build scalable enterprise applications using Microsoft Azure The perfect fast-paced case study for developers and architects wanting to enhance core business processes Packed with examples to illustrate concepts Written in the context of building an online portal for the case-study application In Detail Microsoft's Azure platform has proved itself to be a highly scalable and highly available platform for enterprise applications. Despite a familiar development model, there is a difference between developing for Azure and moving applications and data into the cloud. You need to be aware of how to technically implement large-scale elastic applications. In this book, the authors develop an Azure application and discuss architectural considerations and important decision points for hosting an application on Azure. This book is a fast-paced introduction to all the major features of Azure, with considerations for enterprise developers. It starts with an overview of cloud computing in general, followed by an overview of Microsoft's Azure platform, and covers Windows Azure, SQL Azure, and AppFabric, discussing them with the help of a case-study. The book guides you through setting up the tools needed for Azure development, and outlines the sample application that will be built in the later chapters. Each subsequent chapter focuses on one aspect of the Azure platform--web roles, queue storage, SQL Azure, and so on--discussing the feature in greater detail and then providing a programming example by building parts of the sample application. Important architectural and security considerations are discussed with each Azure feature. The authors cover topics that are important to enterprise development, such as transferring data from an on-premises database to SQL Azure using SSIS, securing an application using AppFabric access control, blob and table storage, and asynchronous messaging using Queue Storage. Readers will learn to leverage the use of queues and worker roles for the separation of responsibilities between web and worker roles, enabling linear scale out of an Azure application through the use of additional instances. A truly "elastic" application is one that can be scaled up or down quickly to match resources to demand as well as control costs; with the practices in this book you will achieve application elasticity. Develop large scale elastic applications on the Microsoft cloud platform What you will learn from this book Explore the major features of Azure Examine the differences between Azure development and traditional application development Integrate with an on-premises database using SSIS Utilize blob, table, and queue storage Develop web and worker roles Log application diagnostics and events Create a WCF service in a web role Review considerations for moving an application and data into the cloud Create a Windows Forms application, and integrate it with web services using Visual Studio Monitor your application's performance using Azure Diagnostics Approach This fast-paced guide enables developers to design and build Enterprise applications for the cloud. You will find it easy to follow this book, as the authors use an actual online portal application for the case study. Throughout the development of the sample application there is discussion of important considerations for moving an application into the cloud. Who this book is written for If you are a developer or architect who wants to build enterprise-level applications with Azure, then this is the perfect book for you! Since the examples are in .NET, the book will skew to MS-oriented developers. But a lot of what is discussed will be applicable to anyone wanting to work with Azure. No matter what language you use, you provision the application fabric the same way, and all the underlying concepts will be the same. You will need experience with Visual Studio, and some basic SQL Server knowledge. From the Author Nate and I have developed and nurtured several enterprise applications, some of which we're sure would be even better on Azure.  The problem was convincing our bosses.  How would we explain Azure?  What features make Azure better than a traditional on-premises application?  What kind of extra work would be involved with Azure development?  Are there downsides to Azure?  Our discussions of how to answer these questions led to this book. This is not a dedep-dive technical manual for a development team, although we do develop a sample application as we examine the features of Azure.  This book is meant more for architects, senior developers, and others involved in the decision making process who want some more information on Azure--basically, the folks who provide "technological leadership" to their enterprise. In writing this book, we hope we help your enterprise gain a deeper understanding of Azure, and put you in a position to make the best decision for your applications.  Best wishes for your continued success! About the Authors Richard Dudley is a Senior Application Developer for Armada Supply Chain Solutions, a logistics company based in Pittsburgh, PA. Richard has been developing with Microsoft technologies since 1998, and today works with a variety of technologies, including SQL Server, ASP.NET, SharePoint and BizTalk. With his wife Kathy, Richard is also co-owner of The Bloomery Florist in Butler, PA Nathan Duchene is an Application Developer for Armada Supply Chain Solutions, a logistics company based in Pittsburgh, PA. He has worked with a list of Microsoft technologies, including ASP.NET, Silverlight, SharePoint, BizTalk, and SQL Server. Nathan also enjoys playing numerous sports, volunteering in the community, and spending time with his family and closest friends in his spare time. Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1: Introduction to Cloud Computing Chapter 2: The Nickel Tour of Azure Chapter 3: Setting Up for Development Chapter 4: Designing our Sample Application Chapter 5: Introduction to SQL Azure Chapter 6: Azure Blob Storage Chapter 7: Azure Table Storage Chapter 8: Queue Storage Chapter 9: Web Role Chapter 10: Web Services and Azure Chapter 11: Worker Roles Chapter 12: Local Application for Updates Chapter 13: Azure AppFabric Chapter 14: Azure Monitoring and Diagnostics Chapter 15: Deploying to Windows Azure Index