Here comes update SU4 to SQL Azure right on time

The 4th update to SQL Azure has arrived. The new items added to SQL Azure are the following:

• Now supports database copy, allowing you to make a real-time complete snapshot of your SQL Azure database into a different server in the data center. Details of this are here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff951624.aspx
Basically two types of copying are supported:
1. You can create a copy of a database on the same server
2. You can create a copy of the database on a diferent sever in the same sub-region

The following T-SQL statement is used for copying:

CREATE DATABASE destination_database_name
    AS COPY OF [source_server_name.]source_database_name

If source_Server_name is not provided the source database must be located on the same SQL Azure that the login to the database is connected. For example, say I have a database BlueskyBengaluru and I want to keep a copy of it on the same server, all I need to do is execute this statement:

Create database BlueskyMumbai as copy of BlueskyBengaluru
Presto, you have a copy of database created.

The databases before copying the database

After the Create database BlueskyMumbai as copy of BlueskyBengaluru

• The updated How-To documentation with several how-to examples. I do not see anything new here, but perhaps the changes are in the details.

•  Update to the light-weight, Silverlight based web access HOUSTON to SQL Azure Databases

It is now available on multiple datacenters. It has moved from incubation to a more realistic scenario with reduced latency. I am yet to find out how I access Houston from my data center.