Answer 1

Answer 2

Design mode (using GUI for editing) is presently limited to deleting only. Time you brush up a few T-SQL vocabulary and usage. There is the SQL Azure template available in SSMS.

You can use ADD, REMOVE columns using Alter Table statements.

Answer 3

Hi,

Currently, we don’t have this GUI feature when working with sql  Azure databases  using SQL server  Management Studio 2008 R2. As a workaround, we can use T-SQL statements to manage our SQL azure  databases.

I don’t know when we will have it but you can vote for the following suggestion in our SQL Azure Feature Voting Forum:

http://www.mygreatwindowsazureidea.com/pages/34685-sql-azure-feature-voting

I think this feature will be included in a future release.

Answer 4

I'd recommend keeping on on-prem version of the DB schema. With this, you can attach to it, make changes with the GUI, and then export "update scripts" which you should then be able to run on SQL Azure.

Personally, I recommend keeping a copy of the schema on-prem anyways and using change scripts to help with versioning. :)

Answer 5

I think an on Prem version of the db is a good idea.  I am still new to Azure but my understanding is that it is fairly easy to make a backup of the Azure database to a local db.  It sounds like a good idea to make changes using the GUI locally.  However, getting those changes up to Azure (without affecting the data that's already in the db) sounds a little hairy. 

I am an Access developer and literate in a number of areas, but not a sql  Server DBA.  I am familiar enough with SQL Server to create tables  etc and use it as a back-end to other tools.  If I have to, I can brush up on T-SQL with regard to changing, adding or modifying fields, but management  Studio does spoil you.  I would like to find the easiest way possible, I'm not sure if what you're suggesting is any easier than just boning up on T-SQL.

Sure hope SQL Azure will make this management studio  addition in the futurel

Answer 6

essentially you'll be using the managment studio  to do the t-sql for you. The upside is that you always will have a local version that's up to date as well as a set of versioning scripts that you can use to apply changes to your DB on.

Either way, boning up on t-sql is something I'd recommend. You don't have to take it as far as being a DBA. But knowing your way around t-sql will help you be a better sql  Server developer. :)

Answer 7

Hi,

Please take a look at Project Houston: https://manage.sqlazurelabs.com/ . I haven't tried it personally but from the blog post by David Aiken (http://www.davidaiken.com/2010/07/21/manage-your-sql-azure-databases-with-project-houston/ ), I believe it has GUI based editor for managing tables, views etc.

Hope this helps.

Thanks

Gaurav Mantri

Cerebrata Software

http://www.cerebrata.com