Introducing .NET 4.0: with Visual Studio 2010

16.7. Storage in Azure

For storing data in Windows Azure, there are three main options:

• Azure storage

• SQL Azure

• Other external storage mechanisms accessible over HTTP

So, what's the difference?

Azure storage is very fast and intended for storing files or data with a simple structure, and it is also cheaper than its SQL counterpart. In contrast, SQL Azure is better suited to working with complex data relationships and should be an easier option for application migration but is slower and more expensive. SQL Azure is built on top of SQL Server but has a few important limitations, most notably a 10GB size limit. SQL Azure also has a reduced set of functionality to normal SQL Server (although if you are using only the basic/standard features of SQL ...