Windows Azure - Create Storage Account

Create Storage Account

For storing in Windows Azure Storage we need to create a Storage Account. The advantages of storage account are following:

• Exposed over HTTP, REST and OData
• Permanent Data Storage
• 3 Types of Storage: Blob, Table and Queues
• Accessible from anywhere

The pricing details can be found here

Please remember that the previous Local Storage was temporary storage and only accessible inside the azure environment. So the Storage Account gains more advantages than local storage.

OData is the synonym for Open Data Protocol.

The data in the storage account is accessible from a mobile application, windows application or other web role.

For using the Windows Azure Storage, we need to create a Storage Account which is explained in step by step.

Step 1: Select the Storage Accounts item from portal

Sign in to the Windows Azure Portal and select the Storage Accounts link from the left pane. The order of clicks are depicted in the figure below.



Step 2: Click on the New Storage Account button

From the ribbon on top, click on the New Storage Account button as shown below



Step 3: Enter the details

On clicking the button from previous step, the following dialog box appears.



Enter the details for your account.

URL: The url should be unique and in lower case. The uniqueness prevents any duplicate url from other accounts.

Region: Choose a region closer to your location or the deployed application location so that the access will be faster.

After entering the details click the Ok button to continue

Step 4: Wait for Account Creation

Now there will be a delay due to the account creation, DNS configuration activities. Wait for a few minutes and you will be ready with the account as shown below.



Once the status changed to Created you are ready with the account. The account usage for storing blob, table and queues will be demonstrated in further articles.

Summary

In this article we have seen how to create a Storage Account through the Windows Azure Portal. This storage account is needed to use Windows Azure Storage types like tables, queues and blobs.