This appendix introduces you to the online SQL Azure database-management application built by Microsoft, code-named Houston. It's a web-based application built atop Silverlight.
The ability to manage SQL Azure databases from a cloud-based management interface is necessary for many developers because it allows them to manage a SQL Azure database without having to use SQL Server Management Studio. At the time of this writing, Houston is available as a Customer Technical Preview (CTP), which means that not all features are completed and you can expect certain issues with the use of the product.
To easily access Houston, you can go to the SQL Azure Labs website at www.sqlazurelabs.com. Click Project Houston CTP 1, and you see a short description of Houston. When you're ready to start, click Launch Houston at the bottom of the page. There, you're asked to select the data-center location where your SQL Azure database was created, as shown in Figure A-1. Click the appropriate location.
You're then prompted to accept the Terms of Use by clicking OK. Figure A-2 shows the login screen that comes up after you do so. You need to provide the following information before clicking Connect:
Server. The full name of the database server
Database. The database name
Login. The login name to use
Password. The database password to use
After you're logged in, you finally see the Houston web application, from which you can manage your database. If you want to connect to another database, you need to log out and log in again by specifying another database name.
The Houston home page contains a menu system at upper left, a list of objects on the left, and one or more tabs in the middle, which you can use to change the central view where you perform various database-management tasks. Figure A-3 shows the main screen.
For example, to edit a table definition, click a table at left on the page. Figure A-4 shows what a table definition looks like. A new tab is created, and the central part of the page now shows a list of the selected table's columns, including data types, default values, and more. Changing a table definition is as simple as making a change and clicking the Save button at upper left.
Note that the upper-left area of the page has changed. You now have two menu items—Database and Table—and the list of icons available is different. You can see in Figure A-4 that the Design icon is selected. Clicking Data shows the table's actual records, as shown in Figure A-5.
You can also perform other tasks in Houston, such as running SQL statements against the database and managing views and stored procedures. Similar to editing a table, you can manage a view or a stored procedure by clicking the desired object name at left. A new tab opens, and you can manage the selected object.
As you can see from the figures, Houston is a simplified management interface that allows you to perform basic tasks against a SQL Azure database. Although Houston is created as a web application, none of the links open new pages; this makes navigation faster and simpler because all the management options are available on the same page.