Book review: Microsoft Windows Azure Development Cookbook

Over the past few months, I’ve been doing technical reviewing for a great Windows Azure book: the Windows Azure Development Cookbook published by Packt. During this review I had no idea who the author of the book was but after publishing it seems the author is no one less than my fellow Windows Azure MVP Neil Mackenzie! If you read his blog you should know you should immediately buy this book.

Why? Well, Neil usually goes both broad and deep: all required context for understanding a recipe is given and the recipe itself goes deep enough to know most of the ins and outs of a specific feature of Windows Azure. Well written, to the point and clear to every reader both novice and expert.

The book is one of a series of cookbooks published by Packt. They are intended to provide “recipes” showing how to implement specific techniques in a particular technology. They don’t cover getting started scenarios, but do cover some basic techniques, some more advanced techniques and usually one or two expert techniques. From the cookbooks I’ve read, this approach works and should get you up to speed real quick. And that’s no different with this one.

Here’s a chapter overview:

1. Controlling Access in the Windows Azure Platform
2. Handling Blobs in Windows Azure
3. Going NoSQL with Windows Azure Tables
4. Disconnecting with Windows Azure Queues
5. Developing Hosted Services for Windows Azure
6. Digging into Windows Azure Diagnostics
7. Managing Hosted Services with the Service Management API
8. Using SQL Azure
9. Looking at the Windows Azure AppFabric

An interesting sample chapter on the Service Management API can be found here.

Oh and before I forget: Neil, congratulations on your book!  It was a pleasure doing the reviewing!

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