Microsoft has just added support for query hints to Azure SQL Database, giving database administrators a powerful tool to manage the performance of ISV application code. Here's how it works.

Data stored in the cloud is nearly always stored in an encrypted form that would need to be cracked before an intruder could read the information.

Some of the primary new functionalities that come with this add-in include the ability to create maps from spatial and non-spatial data stored in SQL Server 2008, customize the display of map data by ...