Azure Table Storage

Azure Table Storage is a NoSQL key-attribute store that accepts authenticated calls in and out of your Azure subscription. It is ideal for storing large amounts of structured, non-relational data. Table Storage is a cost-effective and scalable solution for many application development scenarios.

Introduction to Table Storage

Azure Table Storage stores data as a collection of entities. An entity is a set of properties, similar to a row in a database. Each entity can have a different set of properties. Table Storage does not enforce a schema, and entities within the same table do not need to have the same set of properties.

Getting Started

To get started with Azure Table Storage, you'll need an Azure account and a Storage account. Once created, you can interact with Table Storage using the Azure SDKs, Azure CLI, or REST API.

Creating a Table

Tables are created automatically when you first add data to them. There is no explicit "create table" API call needed.

Adding Entities

Entities are added to a table by inserting them. Each entity must have a PartitionKey and a RowKey, which together form the entity's unique identifier (the primary key).

Key Concepts

Storage Account: Your Azure Storage account provides a unique namespace in Azure for your data.
Table: A collection of entities, similar to a table in a relational database. Tables do not enforce a schema.
Entity: A record within a table, analogous to a row. An entity is a set of properties.
Properties: Key-value pairs within an entity. Property names are strings, and values can be one of the supported data types (String, DateTime, Boolean, Int32, Int64, Double, GUID, Binary, Double-precision floating point).
PartitionKey: A string value that indicates the partition to which an entity belongs. Entities with the same PartitionKey are stored together.
RowKey: A string value that uniquely identifies an entity within a partition.
Primary Key: The combination of PartitionKey and RowKey.

Common Operations

Insert Entity: Add a new entity to a table.
Query Entities: Retrieve entities from a table. You can filter by PartitionKey, RowKey, and other properties.
Update Entity: Modify an existing entity.
Delete Entity: Remove an entity from a table.
Batch Operations: Perform multiple entity operations (insert, update, delete) in a single request for improved performance and atomicity (within a partition).

Query Examples

Retrieving entities can be done efficiently using the PartitionKey and RowKey. You can also apply filter clauses to query based on other properties.


// Example using Azure SDK for .NET to query entities
TableClient tableClient = new TableClient(connectionString, tableName);

// Query for entities with a specific PartitionKey
Pageable<MyEntity> queryResults = tableClient.Query<MyEntity>(e => e.PartitionKey == "partition1");

foreach (MyEntity entity in queryResults)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Entity: {entity.RowKey}, Data: {entity.MyCustomProperty}");
}

Azure Table Storage SDKs

Azure Table Storage can be accessed using various SDKs:

Best Practices

To optimize performance and cost, consider the following:

Design PartitionKeys carefully: Distribute your data evenly across partitions to avoid hot spots and enable parallel querying.
Use RowKeys effectively: For efficient range queries, sort RowKeys lexicographically.
Leverage Batch and Transactional Batch: Group operations to reduce the number of requests.
Minimize property selection: Select only the properties you need in your queries to reduce bandwidth.
Understand pricing: Table Storage is priced based on storage used, transactions, and data egress.

Note: Azure Table Storage is a schema-less store, making it highly flexible for evolving data structures.

Tip: For complex querying needs or relational data, consider Azure Cosmos DB or Azure SQL Database.

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