Introduction:
Have you ever left an interview feeling let down because you were told you lacked sufficient experience? Do you find yourself caught in the vicious cycle of needing experience to land a job but unable to gain that experience without the job itself? If you aspire to work with Microsoft's data platform and specifically want to dive into Azure SQL Database, this blog post is tailored just for you. We'll explore effective ways to gain hands-on experience with Azure SQL Database.
A quick search on Indeed for 'Azure SQL Database' shows a promising 5,725 job openings, highlighting the ample opportunities available for those looking to enter this field.
On September 28th, 2023, Microsoft announced you can now try Azure SQL Database for free. There are no time limits and up to 32 GB of data with 100,000 vCore seconds of computing every month. Nice move, Microsoft. I won't rehash the specific limitations here; you can find a link to those in the additional resources section. In this video, I'll cover how you can get started with Azure SQL Database step-by-step. We'll end the demo by connecting to the new database using Azure Data Studio and executing a few queries.
Create your Azure Subscription:
FYI, you'll need a credit card for verification (even when signing up for the free account).
Example Queries:
You can download the example queries here.
Conclusion:
This post was just enough to get you started with Azure SQL Database. Take time to look around Azure Portal and review the settings of your new database. What are you planning to explore first? Drop a comment below. I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks!
Additional Resources:
New Azure SQL Database free offer - Azure SQL Devs’ Corner (microsoft.com)
Whenever you're ready, there is one way I can help you gain hands-on experience:
Automated Sandbox Fundamentals: I teach how to build a virtual lab using automation in this course. Learn how to create golden images, using both Windows and Linux, to easily spin up and add additional machines to your sandbox. It's packed with 8 modules and the scripts you'll need to build your environment. Start small, and scale as needed by easily changing the configuration file included with the course.