[This article was contributed by the SQL Azure team.]

We are excited about TechEd North America in New Orleans  and have lots of news to share with you but if you can’t make it, you can see many presentations online including today’s keynote with Bob Muglia. With more than 1000 sessions, this is the place to be. We have been busy implementing your feedback and updates on our progress are below.

• SQL Azure Database is extending five-fold to offer 50GB of the database storage capacity to offer even more scalability to applications and data.  Provides higher scalability and easier management of applications and services. Available on June 28^th worldwide, flexibility to buy 50GB database. 

• New SQL Azure Offer: SQL Azure Development Accelerator Core will be available on August 1^st with a new promotional discount to customers and partners, allowing them to subscribe to larger SQL Azure database size at a 25 percent discount.  This new six month offer provides flexibility to purchase commitment quantities of SQL Azure Business Edition databases independent of other Windows Azure platform services at a deeply discounted monthly price.  You can purchase in 10 GB increments the amount of our Business Edition relational database that you require (each Business Edition database is capable of storing up to 50 GB). Please refer to our offer comparison table for more details by offer on our pricing.

• Support for Spatial Data: SQL Azure now offers support for the Geography and Geometry types as well as query support in T-SQL. This is a significant feature and now opens the Windows Azure Platform to support spatial and location aware applications.

• Data Sync Service for SQL Azure allows for more flexible control over data by deciding which data components should be distributed across multiple datacenters in different geographic locations, based on the customer’s internal policies and business needs.  Available in community technology preview at .

• Microsoft SQL Server Web Manager (SSWM) is an easy to use management tool for SQL Azure databases, and specifically designed for Web developers seeking a straightforward solution to quickly develop, deploy and manage their data-driven applications in the cloud. Available as a community technology preview in summer 2010.

• Access 10 Support for SQL Azure offers native data connectivity support from Microsoft Office 2010 to SQL Azure. This new feature provides an easy way to connect directly from Office applications to cloud-based relational databases, and more choices to integrate rich Office Business Applications that can connect directly to both on-premises or cloud databases.

Be sure to see related blogs on Windows Azure and SQL Server.