Welcome to SQL Azure Database Labs! This is your gateway to break-through prototypes and incubations developed at Microsoft with a specific focus on data. Here, you'll hear about coming innovations built by employees and interns all across Microsoft in a variety of areas related to data such as storage, programmability, reporting, synchronization, analysis, scale/access, security, and more – giving you an early look at how we’re taking the power of the traditional data platform and evolving.
As with other incubation labs at Microsoft, projects showcased here range from pure conceptual implementations to modifications and features to existing solutions. These projects are simply a showcase of ideas that are based on community feedback and responses.
There are incubations in the works all across Microsoft so check back often!
A: For Microsoft, incubation is a unique organizational capability to provide resources, processes, funding and even space that enables small, growing teams to focus on developing promising new markets or technologies. Our incubation teams focus on developing innovative products and technologies ranging from novel incremental improvements to those with a potentially disruptive impact or which may take a number of years to realize.
A: Microsoft is continuously innovating new products and services within each business group and across the company. With the rapid pace of the Internet age, incubation groups allow Microsoft to be more nimble and accelerate the pace of innovation even further, so that we can rapidly deliver new technologies to customers and drive Microsoft's overall growth. Incubation is a core competency for Microsoft, in an industry where a strong pipeline of technological advances is a necessity for long term relevance.
A: Incubation at Microsoft is an organic and varied process which is part of the corporate culture. Incubation teams work together, with Microsoft’s various business groups, with Microsoft Research, and independently to maintain a strong pipeline of innovations that is constantly progressing and evolving. Technologies and projects are iterated rapidly, and with frequent reflection and adjustment. Overall, the pipeline is designed to be responsive to a dynamic market, to provide appropriate resourcing and attention to early stage opportunities, and to motivate teams across the company to achieve significant market and technology advances.
A: We’re a group dedicated to showcasing innovations and incubations focused on data and data services at Microsoft.
A: Technologies on SQL Azure Database Labs are in-flight innovations and incubations that are still in development. While we’ve done preliminary testing to ensure the samples + services are functional, please note that the quality levels are effectively “use at your own risk”!
A: Incubations highlighted here are exactly that – incubations! However, based on usage and feedback from the community, we may choose to fund the incubations or shape them into possible features.
A: Not at this point but stay tuned…
A: Please email DataLabs@Microsoft.com with the subject "General Feedback"
- Data Mining in the Cloud - The SQL Server Data Mining team is working to extend the power and ease of use of SQL Server Data Mining to the Cloud. Our goal is provide services that allow you to build rich, predictive applications without worrying about server infrastructure, and showcase these services with cool applications that give you a glimpse of what’s possible
- U Rank – This Microsoft Research project is exploring how personalization, social context, and communication may be used to improve the search experience and leveraging SQL Azure Database to power the service. Use the search engine to re-rank search results, move results from one search to another, add notes, and otherwise edit searches. Not only will you see your changes again the next time you come back, but your friends will see the changes too!
- Project Codename "Anchorage" – We’re evolving the popular SyncToy application to enable much more than just file/folder synchronization between PCs, devices, and services! With this project, providers will be able to register and be discovered in a variety of sync groups including contacts, files, favorites, videos, as well as photos across endpoints such as the Live Mesh, PhotoBucket.com, Smugmug.com, and more
- Project Codename “Huron”- Leverage the power of SQL Azure Database to enable enterprise edge scenarios using the technologies in this incubation! Share data with relational stores like Access, SQL Express, SQL CE, SQL Server, enable B2B data sharing, and push workgroup databases to field workers and mobile users
- Reporting against SQL Azure Database – Leverage SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) 2008 to build and deploy rich reports against data hosted in SQL Azure Database. SSRS data source extensibility framework is used to provide an incubation custom data extension for SQL Azure Database. Developers can download the custom extension and configure it against their on-premise SSRS 2008 installation. This will allow them to connect to SQL Azure Database authorities and containers via HTTP SOAP to extract data sets, build rich reports using standard tools like Report Designer / Report Builder and deploy the reports to Report Manager
- Codename “Astoria” Offline - Version 1 of ADO.NET Data Services Framework (a.k.a. Project "Astoria") introduced a way of creating and consuming flexible, data-centric REST services. Now we are working on creating an end-to-end story for taking data services offline using synchronization. Integrating data services with the Microsoft Sync Framework will enable developers to create offline-capable applications that have a local replica of their data, synchronize that replica with an online data service when a network connection becomes available, and use replicas with the ADO.NET Entity Framework for regular data access.
- Accessing SQL Azure Database using ADO.NET Data Services - This incubation project focuses on aligning SQL Azure Database and ADO.NET Data Services. With this alignment SQL Azure Database will support AtomPub and JSON formats. It will also provide support for established set of conventions for constructing URLs to point to resources. We are also extending ADO.NET Data Services to provide access to the flexible data stored in SQL Azure Database.
