Microsoft LightSwitch and Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5

This source ( http://blogs.msdn.com/b/lightswitch/archive/2010/11/30/anatomy-of-a-lightswitch-application-part-4-data-access-and-storage-2.aspx) mentions that SQL Server Compact 3.5 is not supported. However in the Microsoft LightSwitch IDE you can indeed get connected to this data without any problem.
What is more, you can even develop a screen to search the data. Where it really fails in when displaying a screen. The Meta Data is retrieved, but not the data.

If you continue, you get a screen related exception.

Probably with a little more tweaking of VSLS (Visual Studio LightSwitch) program this could be even viable.

Windows Azure and SQL Azure are in a new portal

The next day after my book got published Microsoft has announced a new portal. This should not result in major changes to the content of the book but certainly the 1st and 2nd Chapter which introduces the Windows Azure Platform and getting started with the portal look a little different.

This page which you get when you click Use the New Portal offers a navigational aid if you use the new portal.

Keep watching this blog for more updates.

Regarding my book on SQL Azure

I hope my latest book "Microsoft SQL Azure Enterprise Application Development" which should be available in a couple of days appeals to the readers as much as my two other books on Microsoft BI. This book covers most of the changes that took place between the CTP and the updates in October 2010. Even as I am writing this post it must be undergoing more changes, a fact that may take away the shine from what is written in the past. Notwithstanding, the core ideas do not change; what changes perhaps are, a few more modified screens; a new UI; and some additional hooks. The more profound changes will be totally new elements that gets added to product with time and that is the time for yet another book.

I take this opportunity to record my sincere thanks to, Microsoft Corporation for evaluation software and allowing me to participate in their events including the boot camps; the third party vendors for evaluation copy of their cloud related software and to Neudesic for giving me a chance to attend their boot camp. I am benefited immensely with my association with the Microsoft MSDN and TECHNET forums and I am thankful for the many forum participants and the moderators for helpful suggestions and answering some of my questions.

Here are the chapter titles of the new book:

1. Cloud Computing and Microsoft Azure Services    Platform
2. SQL Azure Services
3. Working with SQL Azure Databases from Visual  Studio 2008
4. SQL Azure Tools
5. Populating SQL Azure Databases
6. SSIS and SSRS applications using SQL Azure
7. Working with Windows Azure Hosting
8. Database applications on Windows Azure Platform    accessing SQL Server
9. Synchronizing SQL Azure
10.Recent Developments

Some of the details of what you can learn copied from Packt Site is reproduced here:

•  An easy to understand briefing on Microsoft Windows Azure Platform Services

•  Connect to SQL Azure using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio

•  Create and manipulate objects on SQL Azure using different tools

•  Master the different types of Cloud offerings

•  Access SQL Azure through best practices using Client and Server API’s in VB and C# and using hosted services with user authentication Windows Azure

•  Learn how to populate the SQL Azure database using various techniques

•  Create Business Intelligence Applications using SSIS and SSRS

•  Synchronize databases on SQL Azure with on-site enterprise and compact SQL Servers

•  Learn how to write an application to access on-site data from a cloud hosted service

•  Get a comprehensive briefing on various updates that have been made to SQL Azure and the projects still in incubation

•  Understand the future and evolving programs such as the Houston Project, OData Services, Sync Services, and more built to support SQL Azure and transform it into a global enterprise data platform