Provisioning a SQL Azure Server

A SQL Azure Server is the administrative and security boundary for a collection of SQL Azure databases hosted in a single Windows Azure datacenter (region). All connections to a database hosted by the server go through the service endpoint provided by the SQL Azure Server. A Windows Azure subscription can create up to six SQL Azure Servers, each of which can host up to 150 databases (including the master database). These SQL Azure Servers can be in different Windows Azure datacenters. These are soft limits that can be increased by arrangement with Microsoft.

The SQL Azure Server is provisioned on the Windows Azure Portal. The Windows Azure datacenter location, as well as the administrator login and password must be specified during the provisioning process. The rules for the SQL Azure firewall, used to restrict access to the SQL Azure databases associated with the SQL Azure Server, can also be configured as part of the provisioning process. After the SQL Azure...