Windows Azure Data Strategies and management - deciding factor

Interesting read to explore in detail on Windows Azure data strategies published here by Microsoft. Help you decide on pros and cons on Azure. Also will help you decide choose right approach and data management strategies.

Windows Azure provides several different ways to store and manage data. This diversity lets users of the platform address a variety of different problems. Yet diversity implies choice: Which data management option is right for a particular situation?
This short overview is intended to help you answer that question. After a quick summary of the data management technologies in Windows Azure, we’ll walk through several different scenarios, describing which of these technologies is most appropriate in each case. The goal is to make it easier to choose the right options for the problem you face.

Here -

1. http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/manage/windows/fundamentals/cloud-storage-scenarios/
2. http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/solutions/data-management/#scenarios

Free trial to start with any of your Azure services on Microsoft as below -

http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/free-trial/
SQL Azure:
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/services/sql-database/
Cache Service:
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/services/cache/
Storage:
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/services/storage/
HD Insight:
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/services/hdinsight/
Virtual Machines -
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/services/virtual-machines/

-DJ

Azure Starter Steps - Building your own first Azure application

As the next technology trend gets strong inclined towards Cloud Computing be it - Sales Force.com, Amazon AWS or Microsoft Azure, my curiosity towards technology increases and have made an attempt to learn more about it myself :) I needed to get this blog rebooted to a new start as well and think this is the right topic to learn, explore and share as I move along further too.
Focus here would be Microsoft Cloud technology stack - Azure. Here are few bytes that would be helpful for starters who would want to learn about Windows Azure and Cloud computing in general. Ofcourse, there are bunch of materials lying out there but this is one stop shop for everything you need to know about Microsoft Azure.

First, you can create your own Microsoft Azure Account and get free space on cloud - absolutely free! Microsoft has announced that it doesn't even require Credit Card information, only thing required is your cell number to validate your identity! It also provides retail subscriptions for Windows Azure. You would like to go here to sign up -

 

https://account.windowsazure.com/signup

http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/purchase-options/

Benefits that come along with -

• 30 day free trial
• Pay as you go
• 6 month plans - $500 per month minimum w/- discounts
• 12 month plans - $500 per month minimum w/- greater discounts
• VL Enterprise agreements
• MSDN Subscription

https://account.windowsazure.com/signup?offer=Azure_MSDN

http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/member-offers/msdn-benefits/

• Free credit depending on MSDN level up to $150 / month for Ultimate
• Discounted rates
• Microsoft FTE Azure employee pass was discontinued -> MSDN
• Microsoft Internal Billing for sponsored Azure solutions

Once you have created your Azure subscription account, you can get started creating your first Azure application with easy steps- 

1. Install Visual Studio and Azure SDK
2. Sign in to Windows Azure in Visual Studio Server Explorer
3. Create a Windows Azure Cloud Service Visual Studio project
4. Enter project name
5. Add ASP.Net Web role which would be Empty
6. Add "default.aspx" web form
7. Publish the Azure application from Visual Studio
8. Access your application – http://.cloudapp.net/ from cloud and wola!

In addition, below you can find Azure Service Visual Studio Template:

Visual Studio Template

It includes templates and components around Windows Azure services -
1 ASP.Net web role
2 WCF Service web role
3 Worker Role with Service Bus Queue
4 Worker Role
5 Basic Azure component management in Server Explorer

6 Cache Worker Role – provides a dedicated cache

Azure retail subscription pricing calculator:

Pricing Calculator

Manage your portal w/easy to use Azure management portal:

https://manage.windowsazure.com/

 

 

More.... - DJ

Microsoft SQL Server CTP2 announced...

Microsoft SQL Server CTP2 announced...

Microsoft SQL Server 2014 brings to market new in-memory capabilities built into the core database and provides new cloud capabilities to simplify cloud adoption for your SQL databases and help you unlock new hybrid scenarios.

 

Key SQL 2014 Architecture features and improvements:

 

1.) Provides new disaster recovery and backup solutions with Windows Azure, enabling customers to use their existing skills with the on-premises product offerings to take advantage of Microsoft’s global datacenters.

2.) Code named "Hekaton" is now known simply "In-Memory" Online Transaction Processing (OLTP). In-Memory OLTP will let administrators move selected tables into main memory, thereby delivering performance improvements without having to touch the actual applications.

3.) Support for additional index types.

4.) Natively compiled stored procedures for efficient execution of business logic.

5.) New tools to help administrators access database performance so that they can determine which tables would most benefit from in-memory optimization.

 

Download Microsoft SQL Server 2014 here:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/sql-server-2014.aspx

 

Here's more to In memory architecture overview of SQL server 2014 -

http://blogs.technet.com/b/dataplatforminsider/archive/2013/07/22/architectural-overview-of-sql-server-2014-s-in-memory-oltp-technology.aspx

 

Tech net blog on how to get started with SQL 2014 -

http://blogs.technet.com/b/dataplatforminsider/archive/2013/06/26/getting-started-with-sql-server-2014-in-memory-oltp.aspx

 

Hardware Considerations for SQL Server 2014 (Microsoft does claim backward compatibility -if you can run your applications on SQL 2012, you can run on SQL 2014)-

http://blogs.technet.com/b/dataplatforminsider/archive/2013/08/01/hardware-considerations-for-in-memory-oltp-in-sql-server-2014.aspx 

 

Final release expected to be announced sometime later half of CY 2014, but will learn more from developer community as we play around this!

 

Pass Summit 2013 is going on now... stay tuned for more innovation!!!

 

Cheers - Dipesh

How to upgrade Office 2013 on Surface RT to the final version?

How to upgrade Office 2013 on Surface RT to the final version?

The Microsoft Surface running Windows RT includes Office 2013 Home and Student Version which runs on the tablet's desktop. Out of the box it comes with the Review version of Office, but you can upgrade to the final version which is currently available, here's how.
 

http://www.groovypost.com/howto/upgrade-office-2013-microsoft-surface-windows-rt/ 

 

Cheers - Dipesh

 

Phone that charges by itself when in stanby…WIP?

Interesting ways by which a phone can charge by itself...Like it, when we will see this out in market is a matter of time I guess :)

Nokia's self phone charging prototype in works?...

• New talked about prototype - self charging system from Nokia that is able to power itself on nothing more than ambient radiowaves – the weak TV, radio and mobile phone signals that permanently surround us. The power harvested is small but it is almost enough to power a mobile in standby mode indefinitely without ever needing to plug it into the mains, according to Markku Rouvala, one of the researchers who developed the device at the Nokia Research Centre in Cambridge, UK.
• Nokia's device is somewhat less ambitious and is made possible thanks to a wide-band antenna and two very simple circuits. The antenna and the receiver circuit are designed to pick up a wide range of frequencies — from 500 megahertz to 10 gigahertz — and convert the electromagnetic waves into an electrical current, while the second circuit is designed to feed this current to the battery to recharge it.
• The trick here is to ensure that these circuits use less power than is being received, said Rouvala. So far they have been able to harvest up to 5 milliwatts. Their short-term goal is to get in excess of 20 milliwatts, enough power to keep a phone in standby mode indefinitely without having to recharge it. But this would not be enough to actually use the phone to make or receive a call, he says. So ultimately the hope is to be able to get as much as 50 milliwatts which would be sufficient to slowly recharge the battery.

More... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/10/nokia-mobile-phone

Power through Solar cells under the screen -
Solar cells can fit just underneath the screen so that it take the source light and convert it into energy that can be consumed to charge the phone....
 

Charge your phone through your heat of the body -

Phones that can use an integrated thermogenerator that converts heat into energy. That means it could get a slight charge while sitting in your pocket against your leg and an even bigger charge when you have a temperature! :)

Dont believe, ALL three above can be "the" single alternate source for self charging phones, but why not all three? Could be a game changer next!

Cheers - DJ
 

FY13 plans for Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager, Forefront User Access Gateway, and Forefront Threat Management Gateway...

Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager, Forefront User Access Gateway, and Forefront Threat Management Gateway remains alive and Microsoft plans to grow them in FY13 and beyond. here is the article on technet that details more:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/server-cloud/archive/2012/09/12/important-changes-to-forefront-product-roadmaps.aspx

Discontinuing further releases of the following Forefront-branded solutions:

• Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server (FPE)
• Forefront Protection 2010 for SharePoint (FPSP)
• Forefront Security for Office Communications Server (FSOCS)
• Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010 (TMG)
• Forefront Threat Management Gateway Web Protection Services (TMG WPS)

 

IT: Winning the Retail War: How to Compete With Retail E-commerce Players

Winning the Retail War: How to Compete With Retail E-commerce Players

Accenture suggests 10 ways a multichannel retail approach can help in competing with retail e-commerce players.
Overview Today online retailers are the preferred choice for customers worldwide. Does this mean traditional retailing is over? No. Traditional retailers can too march ahead by offering a multichannel retail experience to customers. Online pure plays have changed the retail game with their new approach to technology, innovation and execution. To compete successfully with retail e-commerce players, Accenture recommends traditional retailers adopt a strategic thinking by applying key principles from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.
Download the PDF report from the site here - http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-winning-the-retail-war.aspx

OR watch the video here -
http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-winning-the-retail-war-video.aspx

Knockout js for MVVM and MVC web applications

Assisting Ryan, I learned how cool Knockout java script library is! :) It really seems to be easy in adopting and faster UX development esp. for MVVM and MVC web applications.

http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/ASPNET-MVC-With-Community-Tools-Part-11-KnockoutJS (MVVM, knockout session 20 minute video on ASP.NET MVC With Community Tools Part 11: KnockoutJS)


Practice here if you dont have it installed - http://www.knockoutjs.com// (tons on step by step instructions and tutorials)


Cheers - DJ

Build 2011 microsoft @ Anaheim

Build day 1 Key notes and Session videos here -
http://channel9.msdn.com/events/BUILD/BUILD2011/KEY-0001

Speakers: Chris Jones , Steven Sinofsky , Antoine Leblonde , Mike Angiulo , Julie Larson-Green

Build day 2 Key notes and Session videos here -
http://channel9.msdn.com/events/BUILD/BUILD2011/KEY-0002
Speakers: Scott Guthrie , Jeff Sandquist , John Shewchuk , Steve Ballmer , Jason Zander , Bryon Surace , Satya Nadella , Dan Fernandez

Covered topics include -
o Windows Server 8, Azure,
o Virtualization & Cloud
o Identity & secure access
o VS 2011 Developer Preview, Windows Azure SDK, Windows Azure Toolkit 1.5 available
• Application lifecycle management
• Visual Studio TFS on Azure as SAAS

Device + Cloud
• Advance debugging in windows azure - (ability to do performance profiling on code deployed)
• Feature: Find Matching Clones(find copies of source code)
o Alpha blending etc

Web and Mobile Reach - ASP.Net MVC 4 Preview
• Page Inspector/DOM Explorer/Source View
• Unification/Bunding feature, folder reference
• jQuery.Mobile.MVC
• Shipping jquery as part of ASP.Net/Visual Studio 11

Windows Server 8
• High availability built into win8
• Ability to move private network to cloud along with IP infrastructure
More on Channel9 videos here - http://channel9.msdn.com/events/BUILD/BUILD2011

Vipersmart with Microsoft Azure and Visual Studio for car application tracking and automation

Viper smart start with new Windows 8 and connected with Cloud/Azure - building live tracking applications and alert systems with Microsoft Visual Studio = good for police and justice departments :) http://www.viper.com/smartstart/ key note @ timeframe - 1:10 http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/BUILD/BUILD2011/KEY-0002

Project Management using new Visual Studio 2011 Rosyln

Project Management using new Visual Studio 2011 developer preview - raw notes from Build Session 2 - 1 Visual Team foundation server as a service instead of setting up servers 2 Sprint planning and tracking user stories, tasks 3 All productivity tools are now part of Visual studio 2011 4 jQuery bundled with Visual studio 5 Image editor - making game development interesting Also works with VS 2010 and onto the cloud. More here - http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/BUILD/BUILD2011/KEY-0002 Cheers -Dipesh

Build event for Microsoft 2011 - Keynotes, sessions and excerpts

Keynotes and sessions from Build event day1 -
Speakers: Chris Jones , Steven Sinofsky , Antoine Leblonde , Mike Angiulo , Julie Larson-Green
http://channel9.msdn.com/events/BUILD/BUILD2011/KEY-0001

Keynotes and sessions from Build event day2 -

http://channel9.msdn.com/events/BUILD/BUILD2011/KEY-0002

o Windows Server 8 and Azure
o Virtualization & Cloud
o VS 2011 Developer Preview, Windows Azure SDK, Windows Azure Toolkit 1.5 available
o Visual Studio TFS on Azure

Mobile Device + Cloud
• Advance debugging in windows azure - (ability to do performance profiling on code deployed)
• Find Matching Clones(find copies of source code)
• Alpha blending

Demo by Scott Gutherie - Web and Mobile Reach - ASP.Net MVC 4 Preview
• Page Inspector/DOM Explorer/Source View
• Unification/Bunding feature, folder reference
• Shipping jquery as part of ASP.NET/visual studio Roslyn - jQuery.Mobile.MVC
• WebSocket API exposed with .NET 4.5 that allows connection to websocket from anywhere

Web and Mobile Reach/Web TFS
• SaaS for TFS and Windows Server 8 infrastructure

Tools for building Metro style applications

Video on channel 9 as part of Build event for Microsoft 2011 here on tools to build Metro style applications quickly.

http://channel9.msdn.com/events/BUILD/BUILD2011/BPS-1006

Platform for understanding Metro style apps here -
http://channel9.msdn.com/events/BUILD/BUILD2011/BPS-1005

How to build Content management web sites quickly in days without spending much?

One of our client requested that they want to build an intranet CMS site in days without spending much? They were tighly constrained by budget and wanted someone to build them a quick CMS (Content Management Site) without spending much. The way to go was - Umbraco...we did it! :)

How? Watch a five minute introduction video -



Walkthrough detail tutorials and videos here -
http://umbraco.com/help-and-support/video-tutorials.aspx

Detailed free samples and code on codeplex -
http://umbraco.codeplex.com/

Cheers - DJ

How do you bring web site down so that users cannot access any page for new patch release or upgradation of release?

How do you bring web site down so that users cannot access any page for new patch release or upgradation of release? There are ofcourse numerous ways to do that but one of the easiest way in .net 2.0 is copying Application offline (app_offline.htm) htm file into the root directory of the web site. Users will not get 404 or other HTML error pages but user friendly HTML (app_offline.htm) page.

Here's quick video which shows the demonstration...


HTH - Dipesh