Will SQL Server Service Broker be supported in SQL Azure in future?

Question

I found that SQL Server Service Broker is not supported in SQL Azure. Service Broker is a very attractive choice for our event notification needs. But before committing to it I wanted to make sure it will be supported by Microsoft in the future. The fact that SQL Azure does not support Service Broker worries me. Is it the first step towards retiring Service Broker? We have plans to migrate our application to Azure in the future and I was trying to figure out whether Microsoft would be supporting Service Broker in the future versions of SQL Azure. I tried with lot of googling but I didn't get a definitive answer. Is anyone aware why Microsoft hasn't support Service Broker on SQL Azure and whether it is going to support in the future?

Thanks, Sathish

Answer 1

Support for service broker in SQL Azure has some technical challenges that Microsoft hasn't resolved yet. For example, service broker supports routing messages between servers. Implementing that functionality may be difficult in the sql azure environment and low on the priority list. Microsoft has made no indication that they are deprecating service broker, and I'd be surprised if it doesn't end up in azure eventually.

There is the same situation for sql clr support in azure. It's a great idea if you can figure out how to keep someone from causing problems with poorly written code.

Microsoft rarely comments on when these types of features will be added, they just show up one day. Also, it's important to remember that sql azure is not designed to replace all instances of SQL Server. It is designed to be a simple db that has enough features to be useful to a fairly wide audience. They recommend that If you require the extra functionality then run SQL Server in a VM.