Azure SQL Edge Overview

 

Azure SQL Edge is an optimized relational database engine geared for IoT and IoT Edge deployments. It provides capabilities to create high-performance data storage and processing layer for IoT applications and solutions. Azure SQL Edge provides capabilities to stream, process, and analyse relational and non-relational such as JSON, graph and time-series data, which makes it the right choice for a variety of modern IoT applications.

Azure SQL Edge is built on the latest versions of the SQL Server Database Engine, which provides industry-leading performance, security and query processing capabilities. Since Azure SQL Edge is built on the same engine as SQL Server and Azure SQL, it provides the same Transact-SQL (T-SQL) programming surface area that makes development of applications or solutions easier and faster, and makes application portability between IoT Edge devices, data centers and the cloud straight forward.

 

Working with Azure SQL Edge

Azure SQL Edge helps in maintaining and  developing  applications easier and  productive. Users can use all the familiar tools and skills to build great apps and solutions for their IoT Edge needs. User can develop in SQL Edge using tools like the following-

·        The Azure portal - A web-based application for managing all Azure services.

 

·        SQL Server Management Studio - A free, downloadable client application for managing any SQL infrastructure, from SQL Server to SQL Database.

 

·        SQL Server Data Tools in Visual Studio - A free, downloadable client application for developing SQL Server relational databases, SQL databases, Integration Services packages, Analysis Services data models, and Reporting Services reports.

 

·        Azure Data Studio - A free, downloadable, cross platform database tool for data professional using the Microsoft family of on-premises and cloud data platforms on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

 

·        Visual Studio Code - A free, downloadable, open-source code editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports extensions, including the mssql extension for querying Microsoft SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, and Azure Synapse Analytics.

 

Streaming Capabilities

Azure SQL Edge has in-built streaming capabilities for real-time analytics and complex event-processing. The streaming capability is built using the same constructs as Azure Stream Analytics and similar capabilities as Azure Stream Analytics on IoT Edge.

The streaming engine for Azure SQL Edge is designed for low-latency, resiliency, efficient use of bandwidth and compliance.

 

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Capabilities

Azure SQL Edge has in-built machine learning and analytics capabilities by integrating the open format ONNX (Open Neural Network Exchange) runtime, which allows exchange of deep learning and neural network models between different frameworks. ONNX runtime provides the flexibility to develop models in a language or tools of your choice, which can then be converted to the ONNX format for execution within SQL Edge.

 

Features of Azure SQL Edge-

The Azure SQL Edge has the below mentioned features and apart from below mentioned, it includes the features of SQL Server on Linux.

·        SQL streaming, which is based on the same engine that powers Azure Stream Analytics, provides real-time data streaming capabilities in Azure SQL Edge.

·        The T-SQL function call Date_Bucket for Time-Series data analytics.

·        Machine learning capabilities through the ONNX runtime, included with the SQL engine.

 

 

Usage and diagnostics data configuration-

Azure SQL Edge collects the information, that how the application is being used by its customers, specifically, Azure SQL Edge collects information about the deployment experience, usage, and performance. It helps Microsoft to improve the product to better meet customer needs. For example, Microsoft collects information about what kinds of error codes customers encounter so that we can fix related bugs, improve our documentation about how to use Azure SQL Edge, and determine whether features should be added to the product to better serve customers.

 

Microsoft does not send any of the following types of information through this mechanism-

·        Any values from inside user tables.

·        Any logon credentials or other authentication information.

·        Any personal or customer data.

Some of the sources are from 

https://docs.microsoft.com