You got an invitation, and you figured out how to create a database. Now you want to see some action. You want to look at database objects and populate the databases with data you can work with. Here are two great tools that you can use.

SQL Azure Manager and SQL Azure Migration Wizard are two great tools to work with SQL Azure. SQL Azure Manager can be downloaded from <http://hanssens.org/tools/sqlazuremanager/>here. SQL Azure Migration Wizard can be downloaded from <http://sqlazuremw.codeplex.com/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=32334>here.

SQL Azure Manager takes your credentials and access your database on the SQL Azure. Presently I could see only tables and views in this version. No stored procedures. I tried to delete a table I had created earlier with SSIS, but somehow it could not drop that table. Perhaps table names with white spaces are 'no,no'. It is a very easy to use tool.

SQL Azure Migration Wizard is a nice tool. It can connect to (local)Server as well as it supports running scripts. I tried running a script to create 'pubs' on SQL Azure. It did manage to bring in some tables and not all. It does not like 'USE' in SQL statements(to know what is allowed and what is not you must go to MSDN). For running the script I need to be in Master(but how?, I could not fathom). I went through lots of "encountered some problem, searching for a solution" messages. On the whole it is very easy to use tool.

If these tools can be attached to IIS 7 Database Manager there will be one great tool to work with SQL Azure.

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