Book Review: Windows Azure SQL Reporting Succinctly by Stacia Misner
The ebook provides a great overview of Windows Azure SQL Reporting that will be helpful to developers and architects. It starts with a comparison of SQL Reporting and SSRS & takes the user through Report Development, Report Management, Report Parts, Security & Report Access.
I feel the major failing of the book is that it doesn't provide any examples to follow along with the theory that it explains. As such this book is better read after you've tried out a few things with Windows Azure SQL Reporting. This 13-minute video from a 21-part series on Channel 9 provides a quick introduction.Both the book and the video reference the AdventureWorks database that you can get from this CodePlex location.
The Windows Azure Management Portal keeps changing so I noticed a few of the points in the book aren't true anymore. For instance, the geo-replication option that persists data in multiple locations was available at no additional cost earlier but there is a charge now for geo-replicated storage.To access the Silverlight portal earlier, you had to click on your user name in the top right corner of the Windows Azure Management Portal and select Previous Portal but that's gone now. Considering these dynamic portal changes, future books on Azure that explain techniques and new features step by step may have to be produced as an online Wiki.
Update: Windows Azure SQL Reporting will discontinue service on October 31, 2014.
Related: Windows Azure - Learning Resources
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