Creating a Windows Azure Account

Code On Time web application generator can create advanced web apps straight from your database. This also includes Windows SQL Azure cloud databases. Before you can create a Windows SQL Azure database, you need to have an account. Let’s see what it takes to set up a free trial with Windows Azure.

Navigate to https://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/free-trial/ and request a free trial by clicking on try it free.

This will open a popup requiring you to sign in with your Windows Live ID. If you don’t currently have one, you can create a free account at https://signup.live.com/signup.aspx.

Once logged in, you will be shown details of the free trial. At the time of this writing, you will get thee free months, 750 compute hours, 20 GB of storage, a single 1 GB SQL Azure database, and 20 GB of data transfers. Press the arrow in the bottom right corner to continue.

If your account has not been verified by phone, you will be required to verify using text message or a call. Enter your phone number and either choose Call me or Send text message.

A text message or call will be sent with your verification message.  Enter it in the box below, and press verify. Once complete, press the right arrow to continue.

The last step will require you to enter your billing and account information. Don’t worry, Microsoft will not charge you, as you will be assigned a default Spending Limit of $0.00, as outlined at https://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/spending-limits/.

Enter your information, check the box to agree with the Subscription Agreement and Rate Plan, and press Next.

While generally the process is fast, it may take up to 15 minutes for Windows Azure to set up your free subscription.

Once it has been set up, you will be directed back to the Windows Azure site. In the top right corner, press manage.

The Windows Azure Management Portal will load in your browser. The bottom left area has a list of important links. The top ribbon contains actions relevant to the selected item. The middle left area contains folders within the section you are in at that moment. When applicable, a Properties tab will appear on the right side.

You can now create your own hosted services, storage accounts, databases, etc.