Azure Factory | Forms, Reports, Apps. Build and deploy rapidly. Use offline, online, on-premises.

Code On Time web application generator makes easy development of line-of-business applications. Now you can build line-of-business web applications that are instantly ready for deployment to Windows Azure cloud.

Azure Factory generates sophisticated Web 2.0 applications straight from your own SQL Azure database. The generated web application is ready for immediate deployment to Windows Azure.

See a live Azure Factory web app sample at http://northwind.cloudapp.net protected by firewall, enhanced with load balancer, running on two extra-small Compute instances with SQL Azure database in the back end. All data is stored in three separate locations in the cloud. This entire infrastructure can be brought to life on demand with a few mouse clicks. The best part – no upfront expenses, no need to have an extensive knowledge required to maintain a data center. Turn it “off” with a mouse click. Turn it back “on” with extended resources when needed. In the cloud, the sky is the limit.

Scroll down to watch a quick introduction in development with Azure Factory and Code On Time web app generator. The printable version of this tutorial is available at Azure Factory Tutorial Read (3536K).

In this thirteen minute Azure Factory tutorial we will:

Show you a sample application running in Windows Azure Cloud,
Create Windows Azure account with free trial at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/free-trial/,
Set up an SQL Azure database and create sample tables,
Generate an Azure Factory web app,
Deploy generated web app to staging environment, and
Switch web app to production environment.

Windows Azure applications do not require maintenance, patching, or updating of the hardware and software components - it just works. Applications are easily scalable - simply set the size and number of instances you want, and deploy.

Azure Factory Requirements

Azure Factory is a web application code generation project included with Code On Time web app generator.

Download and install Code On Time on your computer. The installation package includes everything you need to generate a web app straight from SQL Azure database. You will also be able to preview the local version of the generated web application on your own computer.

You can download SDK at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/sdk.

What is Windows Azure Platform?

Windows Azure Platform is a cloud hosting service run by Microsoft that enables you to store data, as well as build and connect apps. Everything is stored in a Microsoft data center - the only thing you have to manage is your application. The applications are hosted on cloud operating systems called Windows Azure. This operating system serves as a runtime for your application. While it can't be accessed directly, it can be interacted with using the Azure Portal. You can create, edit, and delete hosted services, and storage accounts. Rich SQL Azure reporting capabilities are also present.

Typical "On-Premise" Application Setup

The usual application setup in your own on-premise data center will include the following items:

Firewall
Load balancer
Application server
Database server
Other services (access control, security)

This setup will take an exhaustive amount of time and money to implement, and that's just the hardware side. You will also need to install the operating systems and configure them to work together. And how long will this system run until you have to start updating, patching, and fixing everything? When traffic increases, you'll also have to scale this system. Windows Azure offers a better solution.

Using Windows Azure

Switch your application to Windows Azure - all the hardware is stored in a Microsoft data center, and there is no need to manage the operating system. All you have to do is deploy your application to the cloud, and everything will take care of itself. This allows you to focus on adding business value and key features to your applications.

With Azure Factory, your job becomes even easier. Point to your database and press Generate. In a few minutes, you will have a full featured web application that is sure to impress peers and customers. Then, press Publish, and you will have everything you need to deploy to Windows Azure.

SQL Azure

Windows Azure allows you to store and run your application in the cloud. SQL Azure will store the the data for your application. It is a relational database using SQL technology, that runs in the Azure cloud. Use the online Database Manager provided by Microsoft, or connect to the database with SQL Server Management Studio 2008 R2. SQL Azure also supports T-SQL.

The database is highly scalable - availability will increase with demand, and price will be dictated by usage. All data is distrubuted across many nodes, with at least three copies, to insure fault tolerance. If one copy goes down, another copy is automatically activated to insure a seamless experience.