Azure SQL Database is a fully managed relational database service provided by Microsoft Azure. It is built on the SQL Server database engine and offers a high-availability, high-performance, and scalable database solution. This module will cover the key concepts, setup, and management of Azure SQL Database.

• Fully Managed Service: Azure SQL Database is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) that handles most of the database management functions such as upgrading, patching, backups, and monitoring without user involvement.
• Scalability: It offers dynamic scalability with options to scale up or down based on the workload.
• High Availability: Built-in high availability and disaster recovery features ensure minimal downtime.
• Security: Advanced security features including data encryption, threat detection, and compliance certifications.

• Single Database: A single, isolated database optimized for workloads when performance demands are somewhat predictable.
• Elastic Pool: A collection of databases with a shared set of resources, ideal for managing multiple databases with varying and unpredictable usage patterns.
• Managed Instance: A fully managed instance of SQL Server with near 100% compatibility with the latest SQL Server (Enterprise Edition) database engine.

• General Purpose: Balanced and scalable compute and storage options suitable for most business workloads.
• Business Critical: High-performance and low-latency storage suitable for mission-critical applications.
• Hyperscale: Highly scalable storage and compute performance for large databases.

1. Create an Azure SQL Database

   • Navigate to the Azure Portal.
   • Click on "Create a resource" and select "SQL Database".
   • Fill in the required details such as subscription, resource group, database name, and server.

2. Configure the Server

   • If you don't have an existing server, create a new one by providing a server name, admin login, and password.
   • Choose the location closest to your users for optimal performance.

3. Select the Pricing Tier

   • Choose the appropriate service tier (General Purpose, Business Critical, or Hyperscale) based on your workload requirements.
   • Configure the compute and storage options.

4. Networking Configuration

   • Configure the networking settings to allow access to the database. You can choose to allow Azure services and resources to access the server or set up specific IP firewall rules.

5. Review and Create

   • Review all the configurations and click "Create" to deploy the database.

• Azure Monitor: Use Azure Monitor to track the performance and health of your SQL Database.
• Query Performance Insight: Provides insights into query performance and helps identify long-running queries.
• Automatic Tuning: Azure SQL Database can automatically tune your database by creating and dropping indexes and fixing query performance issues.

• Data Encryption: Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) encrypts the database, associated backups, and transaction log files.
• Advanced Threat Protection: Detects anomalous activities indicating unusual and potentially harmful attempts to access or exploit databases.
• Firewall Rules: Configure firewall rules to control access to your SQL Database.

• Automated Backups: Azure SQL Database automatically performs backups of your database.
• Point-in-Time Restore: Restore your database to any point in time within the retention period.
• Long-term Retention: Store backups for up to 10 years for compliance purposes.

1. Objective: Create an Azure SQL Database, configure firewall rules, and connect to the database using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).

2. Steps:

   • Follow the step-by-step guide to create an Azure SQL Database.
   • Configure firewall rules to allow your local IP address.
   • Download and install SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
   • Connect to your Azure SQL Database using SSMS with the server admin credentials.

3. Solution:

   # Create a resource group
   az group create --name myResourceGroup --location eastus
   
   # Create a SQL server
   az sql server create --name myserver --resource-group myResourceGroup --location eastus --admin-user myadmin --admin-password MyP@ssword123
   
   # Create a SQL database
   az sql db create --resource-group myResourceGroup --server myserver --name mydatabase --service-objective S0
   
   # Configure firewall rule to allow your IP address
   az sql server firewall-rule create --resource-group myResourceGroup --server myserver --name AllowMyIP --start-ip-address <Your-IP-Address> --end-ip-address <Your-IP-Address>
   

In this module, you learned about Azure SQL Database, its key features, deployment models, and service tiers. You also learned how to set up and manage an Azure SQL Database, including monitoring, security, and backup strategies. The practical exercise provided hands-on experience in creating and configuring an Azure SQL Database. In the next module, we will explore Azure Cosmos DB, a globally distributed, multi-model database service.