We are excited to announce the immediate availability of the next SQL Azure Reporting Community Technology Preview (CTP).  SQL Azure Reporting delivers on the promise of BI in the cloud, and developers can now author reports, just as they do today when running SQL Server Reporting services on-premises.  SQL Azure Reporting provides consistent APIs to view, execute and manage reports along with rich formatting and data visualization options. The new CTP updates the previous CTP release with portal enhancements, Microsoft support, and other updates listed below. Combined with the SQL Azure Data Sync (also in CTP release), SQL Azure Reporting enalbes new hybrid IT scenarios – for example, customers can schedule automatic synchronization of on-premises databases with SQL Azure, and then deploy cloud-based BI reports based on the synchronized cloud-based data sources.

This new CTP is broadly available to all SQL Azure customers and does not have a limited sign-up capacity; simply visit the Windows Azure Management Portal and start using the SQL Azure Reporting CTP today!

What’s New in the Updated CTP

The following new features are available in the new CTP:

• Improved availability and performance statistics.
• Ability to self-provision a SQL Azure Reporting server.
• Windows Azure Management Portal updates to easily manage users and reports deployed to SQL Azure Reporting.
• Availability of the service in all Microsoft Windows Azure datacenters around the world.
• Official Microsoft support in this new CTP release.
• Greater access for customers with no separate registration process required to use the new CTP.

An updated SQL Azure Reporting FAQ with further information is available here.  We are looking forward to receiving your feedback!

Background Information

SQL Azure Reporting is a flexible and cost effective cloud-based reporting capability that allows organizations to develop and rapidly deploy reports that deliver insights to business users. With SQL Azure Reporting, organizations can use a familiar platform and tools to deliver a cloud-based reporting capability that complements on premises reporting at a lower upfront cost. Organizations can take advantage of Microsoft’s investments in security, privacy, performance and reliability in the cloud. SQL Azure Reporting fits a number of key business scenarios.  For example, many departments, groups and small businesses have a need for reporting but don’t have the resources to procure hardware and software licenses, or install, configure and manage reporting systems. Seasonal processing is another common business scenario – if your reporting system is used on a seasonal basis (closure of books, quarterly sales reporting, holiday season-impacted reporting) cloud-based SQL Azure Reporting can save you valuable resources because of the elastic nature of the cloud.  For example, you can scale up and down on demand and only pay for resources you actually use while still handling peak load usage scenarios.  Another common scenario addressed is the need to share reports across a supply chain: with SQL Azure Reporting it is very easy to let partners and customers access your cloud-based reports.

Sharing Your Feedback

For community-based support, post a question to the SQL Server Reporting forum and/or the SQL Azure MSDN Forum. The product team will do its best to answer any questions posted there.

To log a bug in this release, use the following steps:

1. Navigate to https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/Feedback.
2. You will be prompted to search our existing feedback to verify your issue has not already been submitted.
3. Once you verify that your issue has not been submitted, scroll down the page and click on the orange Submit Feedback button in the left-hand navigation bar.
4. On the Select Feedback form, click SQL Server Bug Form.
5. On the bug form, select Version = SQL Azure Reporting Preview.
6. On the bug form, select Category = SQL Azure Reporting.
7. Complete your request.
8. Click Submit to send the form to Microsoft.

If you have any questions about the feedback submission process or about accessing the new SQL Azure Reporting CTP, send us an e-mail message:  sqlconne@microsoft.com.

Click here for more information about Windows Azure and SQL Azure sessions at PASS Summit 2011. Click here to watch demonstrations of many of these new features, made during the PASS Summit keynote by Quentin Clark, corporate vice president, SQL Server Database System Group at Microsoft.