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There has been many significant improvements on Windows Azure over time. And for SQL Azure, this time Microsoft has added comprehensive intelligence capabilities to it. CTP stands for Customer Technology Preview that actually delivers Business Intelligence (BI) in the cloud. 
One major leverage customers now have is that, they can now author reports, as they did while using SQL server. SQL Azure comes along with many consistent API's to view, execute, report and manage your work.
The major update in this CTP compared to earlier release, is the portal enhancement. You can also experience integration with SQL Azure Data Sync. As we know SQL Azure Sync enables both creating and synchronization between SQL Azure and SQL Server. Also, SQL Azure Data Sync is used for Cloud to cloud synchronization, Enterprise (on-premises) to cloud and Bi-directional synchronization. Using the same services customers can automatic schedule synchronization with SQL Azure and can deploy cloud based reports.
The following new features are available in the new SQL Azure Reporting 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.
SQL Azure Reporting is highly flexible and simple for small businesses as well, that has a need of reporting, but fail due to lack of infrastructure, services, licensing and managed reporting systems. It has a high scalability, if your business is season based, and you require bandwidth for quite some amount of time, this is quite easily possible because of elastic nature of cloud. Another scenario where you will find this service helpful is, you can allow your partners and customers to access your cloud based reports in better manner.
According to Microsoft, the new SQL Azure CPT can be tested by all customers using Microsoft's cloud platform, provided they are not on limited capacity.
To experience all this things put together, log in to Windows Azure Management Portal now.
