I previously wrote about how important lessons usually don’t come easy… and that replication is important. A few weeks ago the Windows Azure platform was going through a rough patch and all SQL Database instances went offline for a few hours.
At that moment, I recommended the use of SQL Data Sync to keep an on-premise backup of your data.
Since then I took a few steps back and read more on the subject. I also setup my first cloud to on-premise SQL Data Sync group and I must say that I’m impressed!
What’s interesting about SQL Data Sync, is that a backup isn’t limited to the cloud. It provides bidirectional synchronization between two or more databases, which can be located on-premise or in datacenters.
Configuring SQL Data Sync doesn’t require any code! Everything is configured through the Windows Azure Management Portal and on your on-premise servers.
There are many different ways to backup your SQL Database instances and they all come at a price. The available options do not cover all the possible disasters on their own so a mix and match may be the solution you are looking for.
The scope of this post will be limited to SQL Data Sync. Future posts will explore other ways to backup your databases. If you are curious about creating an instant copy of your production database within the same SQL Database Server see my posts about creating a staging database instance from a production instance on Windows Azure SQL Database.
Alexandre Brisebois ☁ 