Table B-1 lists the supported T-SQL statements that you can use in SQL Azure. These statements can be used as exactly as you currently know them without any limitations.

Table B-2 lists the partially supported T-SQL statements that you can use in SQL Azure. "Partially supported" means you can use these statements, but with some variations (or limitations) to the syntax. Examples are provided following the table.

For example, when you're creating or altering a stored procedure in SQL Azure, the FOR REPLICATION and ENCRYPTION options aren't supported. Thus, the following isn't valid:

CREATE PROCEDURE GetUsers
WITH ENCRYPTION
FOR REPLICATION
AS

SET NOCOUNT ON;
    SELECT Title, Name, Intro
    FROM Users
GO

However, the following is valid:

CREATE PROCEDURE GetUsers
WITH RECOMPILE, EXECUTE AS CALLER
AS
    SET NOCOUNT ON;
    SELECT Title, Name, Intro
    FROM Users
GO

The CREATE/ALTER table syntax for SQL Azure is a bit trickier, because there are several unsupported options:

Although this list may give the impression of much missing functionality, keep in mind that most of the items in the list are there due to the fact that they're operating-system or hardware related. As an example, the following CREATE TABLE statement is invalid:

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[Users](
        [ID] [int] IDENTITY(1,1) NOT FOR REPLICATION NOT NULL,
     [Name] [nvarchar](50) NULL,
     [NTUserName] [nvarchar](128) NULL,
     [Domain] [nvarchar](50) NOT NULL,
     [Intro] [nvarchar](100) NULL,
     [Title] [nvarchar](50) NOT NULL,
     [State] [nvarchar](10) NOT NULL,
     [Country] [nvarchar](100) NULL,
     [PWD] [varbinary](100) NULL,
     [rowguid] [uniqueidentifier] NULL,
PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED
(
        [ID] ASC
)WITH (PAD_INDEX  = OFF, STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE  = OFF,
IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF, ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS  = ON, ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS  = ON)
ON [PRIMARY]
) ON [PRIMARY]

This syntax is invalid for several reasons. The NOT FOR REPLICATION clause on the IDENTITY column isn't supported. Nor are the two ON PRIMARY clauses, the ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS clause, and the ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS clause. However, the following syntax is valid:

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[Users](
     [ID] [int] IDENTITY(1,1) NOT NULL,
     [Name] [nvarchar](50) NULL,
     [NTUserName] [nvarchar](128) NULL,
     [Domain] [nvarchar](50) NOT NULL,
     [Intro] [nvarchar](100) NULL,
     [Title] [nvarchar](50) NOT NULL,
     [State] [nvarchar](10) NOT NULL,
     [Country] [nvarchar](100) NULL,

[PWD] [varbinary](100) NULL,
     [rowguid] [uniqueidentifier] NULL,
PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED
(
     [ID] ASC
)WITH (STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE  = OFF, IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF))

For detailed information about exactly what is supported and what isn't, visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee336267.aspx.

The list of unsupported T-SQL statements is long, but that isn't as negative a thing as it may appear. In most cases, unsupported statements are operating-system or hardware related, and they don't apply in the SQL Azure environment.

Because there are so many unsupported statements, this appendix doesn't list them all. You can find a complete list at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee336253.aspx. Table B-3 provides a shorter list, highlighting some unsupported statements that you should particularly be aware of.

If you've been following SQL Azure since its initial release to the public, you realize that Microsoft has come a long way in supporting much of the functionality and many of the data types found in your local, on-premises instance of SQL Server. Table B-4 lists those data types currently supported in SQL Azure as of Service Update 4.

For a complete list of supported methods for the geography, geometry, hierarchyid, and xml data types, go to http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee336233.aspx.