Azure SQL

What is Azure SQL?

Azure SQL Database is your go to cloud database solution if you’re already using cloud services or planning to move your data to the cloud. It’s built to make managing your databases easier, more reliable and scalable without the tediousness of managing on-premises infrastructure.

What does Azure SQL offer?

• A fully managed service - Azure SQL Database is a fully managed service meaning that Microsoft maintains the underlying infrastructure, including hardware provisioning, software installation, patching, backups and monitoring. This allows you to focus on building and managing your databases without concerning yourself with infrastructure management tasks as would be required if it was hosted on-prem.

• Scalability - Azure SQL is extremely scalable and allows you to quickly and easily scale your databases up or down based on your specific, evolving requirements. This includes options for scaling compute and storage independently, as well as features like auto scaling (up and down) and elastic pools. It also allows you to adjust your resources dynamically to accommodate changes in workload without downtime.

• High availability - It offers built in mechanisms to provide you with high availability including automatic replication, failover and geo replication across multiple Azure regions. This helps ensure data availability and minimises downtime in the event of your hardware failing or disasters. You can choose from different service tiers which provide varying levels of redundancy and availability.

• Security - As part of the Microsoft ecosystem, Azure SQL provides solid security features to protect your data which includes encryption at rest and in transit, network isolation, threat detection and advanced authentication and access control options. You can take advantage of Azure Active Directory for Identity Management and integrate with the Azure Security Center for additional security insights and recommendations.

• Compatibility - Because it is based on the SQL Server database engine, it supports the same T-SQL language and has the majority of the same features as SQL Server does. 

• Integration with Azure services - Azure SQL Database integrates with other Azure services and tools including Active Directory, Azure Monitor, Azure Data Factory, Azure Logic Apps and Azure DevOps - ideal if you already have a Microsoft centric environment.

• Pay for what you use pricing - As with other Azure services, Azure SQL operates on a pay for what you use model.  Again, you can choose from different service tiers and performance levels to match your specific requirements and budget. Additionally, Azure SQL Database offers options for reserved capacity and serverless compute further helping you with cost optimisation.

Who might you use Azure SQL?

Azure SQL Database can be a total game changer if you’re already using cloud based services. No matter your industry or the size of your business, it can be tailored to suit your specific needs. Here are some instances where you might use it:

• Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) - If you're an SME, you can use Azure SQL Database for managing your business data in the cloud. This is due to the fact it offers flexible pricing options and a scalable database solution without the need for upfront hardware investments or extensive IT infrastructure management.

• Enterprises - If you're an Enterprise grade organisation with complex data management needs, you might use Azure SQL Database for hosting your business critical databases due to the fact that it offers scalability, high availability and inbuilt security features.

• SaaS development companies - If you have a SaaS product, your business might leverage Azure SQL Database for hosting multi-tenant applications and databases, where each of your customer's data is isolated and securely managed within separate databases. For SaaS providers, Azure SQL Database's scalability and performance allows you to meet the demands of your ever changing customer base.

Best projects for Azure SQL

Most businesses could find some benefit in using Azure SQL as their primary database solution whether you're looking to reduce costs, seeking to scale with ease or simply want to modernise your infrastructure. But, general advantages aside, Azure SQL will be particularly well suited if you're commissioning the following types of projects:

Cloud based web & mobile applications

First and foremost, Azure SQL is a rock solid choice if you run, or plan to run, applications with a global audience or unpredictable traffic spikes. With automatic scaling, built in redundancy and secure data access, your apps can perform reliably and consistently no matter where your users are.

Data driven APIs

If your company has an API(s) at the core of your service offering, a dependable, low latency database is absolutely crucial. Azure SQL allows you to store and serve structured data efficiently to any web apps, mobile clients or third party integrations you have (or will have in the future).

Disaster recovery and hybrid solutions

Azure SQL isn’t just for fully cloud based environment - it can also play a key role in hybrid cloud strategies. You can use it as a backup or failover if you still have on-prem SQL Servers, giving your business resilience without the cost of duplicating your infrastructure.

Customer portals

With 24/7 uptime, high transaction reliability and compliance features, Azure SQL is an excellent backend if you have a web based customer portal where your users manage their own data, make purchases or need to access services at any time of day.

Reporting and BI projects

Thanks to it's integration capabilities with Power BI and Excel, Azure SQL is a great fit if you have a project that involves data analytics, dashboards and/or automated reporting.

How can we help?

At Cool Code Company, we’ve worked with a wide range of clients to plan, deploy and optimise their database solutions in the cloud - Azure SQL Database being one of the most popular.

Our Nottingham based developers can assess your current setup, understand your specific requirements and advise on the most effective service tier, performance level and cost model. We can also help in migrating your existing SQL Server databases to Azure to give them a new lease of life and give your business access to new features and functionality. Come and have a chat with our friendly team today!