This can be done by building a data pipeline manually, usually a Python script (you can leverage a tool as Apache Airflow for this). This process can take more than a full week of development. Or it can be done in minutes on Airbyte in three easy steps:

1. set up Azure Table Storage as a source connector (using Auth, or usually an API key)
2. set up MS SQL Server as a destination connector
3. define which data you want to transfer and how frequently

You can choose to self-host the pipeline using Airbyte Open Source or have it managed for you with Airbyte Cloud.

This tutorial’s purpose is to show you how.

What is Azure Table Storage

Azure Table storage, which is a service that stores non-relational structured data in the cloud and it is well known as structured NoSQL data. Azure Table storage is a service that stores structured NoSQL data in the cloud, providing a key/attribute store with a schema less design. Azure Table storage is a very popular service used to store structured NoSQL data in the cloud, providing a Key/attribute store. One can use it to store large amounts of structured, non-relational data.

What is MS SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management (RDBMS) built by Microsoft. As a database server, its primary function is to store and retrieve data upon the request of other software applications, either from the same computer or a different computer across a network—including the internet. To serve the needs of different audiences and workload sizes, Microsoft offers multiple editions (at least 12) of its Microsoft SQL Server.

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Prerequisites

1. A Azure Table Storage account to transfer your customer data automatically from.
2. A MS SQL Server account.
3. An active Airbyte Cloud account, or you can also choose to use Airbyte Open Source locally. You can follow the instructions to set up Airbyte on your system using docker-compose.

Airbyte is an open-source data integration platform that consolidates and streamlines the process of extracting and loading data from multiple data sources to data warehouses. It offers pre-built connectors, including Azure Table Storage and MS SQL Server, for seamless data migration.

When using Airbyte to move data from Azure Table Storage to MS SQL Server, it extracts data from Azure Table Storage using the source connector, converts it into a format MS SQL Server can ingest using the provided schema, and then loads it into MS SQL Server via the destination connector.

This allows businesses to leverage their Azure Table Storage data for advanced analytics and insights within MS SQL Server, simplifying the ETL process and saving significant time and resources. Additionally, integrating Azure ETL tools into this ecosystem further enhances data transformation capabilities, enabling seamless orchestration of complex ETL workflows and maximizing the value extracted from disparate data sources.

Step 1: Set up Azure Table Storage as a source connector

1. First, you need to create an Azure Table Storage account and obtain the account name and account key. You can find these details in the Azure portal under the "Access keys" section of your storage account.  
2. In Airbyte, navigate to the "Sources" tab and click on "Add Source". Select "Azure Table Storage" from the list of available sources.  
3. In the "Configure Azure Table Storage" page, enter the account name and account key that you obtained in step 1.  
4. Next, enter the name of the table that you want to connect to. You can find the name of the table in the Azure portal under the "Tables" section of your storage account.  
5. If you want to filter the data that you retrieve from the table, you can enter a filter expression in the "Filter" field. This expression should be in the OData syntax.  
6. Finally, click on "Test Connection" to ensure that Airbyte can connect to your Azure Table Storage account. If the connection is successful, click on "Create Source" to save your configuration.  
7. You can now use this source to create a new Airbyte pipeline and start replicating data from your Azure Table Storage account.

Step 2: Set up MS SQL Server as a destination connector

1. Open the Airbyte platform and navigate to the "Destinations" tab on the left-hand side of the screen.
2. Scroll down until you find the "MSSQL - SQL Server" connector and click on it.
3. Click on the "Create new destination" button.
4. Fill in the required information, including the destination name, host, port, database name, username, and password.
5. Click on the "Test connection" button to ensure that the connection is successful.
6. Once the connection is successful, click on the "Save" button to save the destination.
7. Navigate to the "Sources" tab on the left-hand side of the screen and select the source that you want to connect to the MSSQL - SQL Server destination.
8. Click on the "Create new connection" button.
9. Select the MSSQL - SQL Server destination that you just created from the drop-down menu.
10. Fill in the required information for the source, including the source name, host, port, database name, username, and password.
11. Click on the "Test connection" button to ensure that the connection is successful.
12. Once the connection is successful, click on the "Save" button to save the connection.13. You can now start syncing data from your source to your MSSQL - SQL Server destination.

Step 3: Set up a connection to sync your Azure Table Storage data to MS SQL Server

Once you've successfully connected Azure Table Storage as a data source and MS SQL Server as a destination in Airbyte, you can set up a data pipeline between them with the following steps:

1. Create a new connection: On the Airbyte dashboard, navigate to the 'Connections' tab and click the '+ New Connection' button.
2. Choose your source: Select Azure Table Storage from the dropdown list of your configured sources.
3. Select your destination: Choose MS SQL Server from the dropdown list of your configured destinations.
4. Configure your sync: Define the frequency of your data syncs based on your business needs. Airbyte allows both manual and automatic scheduling for your data refreshes.
5. Select the data to sync: Choose the specific Azure Table Storage objects you want to import data from towards MS SQL Server. You can sync all data or select specific tables and fields.
6. Select the sync mode for your streams: Choose between full refreshes or incremental syncs (with deduplication if you want), and this for all streams or at the stream level. Incremental is only available for streams that have a primary cursor.
7. Test your connection: Click the 'Test Connection' button to make sure that your setup works. If the connection test is successful, save your configuration.
8. Start the sync: If the test passes, click 'Set Up Connection'. Airbyte will start moving data from Azure Table Storage to MS SQL Server according to your settings.

Remember, Airbyte keeps your data in sync at the frequency you determine, ensuring your MS SQL Server data warehouse is always up-to-date with your Azure Table Storage data.

Use Cases to transfer your Azure Table Storage data to MS SQL Server

Integrating data from Azure Table Storage to MS SQL Server provides several benefits. Here are a few use cases:

1. Advanced Analytics: MS SQL Server’s powerful data processing capabilities enable you to perform complex queries and data analysis on your Azure Table Storage data, extracting insights that wouldn't be possible within Azure Table Storage alone.
2. Data Consolidation: If you're using multiple other sources along with Azure Table Storage, syncing to MS SQL Server allows you to centralize your data for a holistic view of your operations, and to set up a change data capture process so you never have any discrepancies in your data again.
3. Historical Data Analysis: Azure Table Storage has limits on historical data. Syncing data to MS SQL Server allows for long-term data retention and analysis of historical trends over time.
4. Data Security and Compliance: MS SQL Server provides robust data security features. Syncing Azure Table Storage data to MS SQL Server ensures your data is secured and allows for advanced data governance and compliance management.
5. Scalability: MS SQL Server can handle large volumes of data without affecting performance, providing an ideal solution for growing businesses with expanding Azure Table Storage data.
6. Data Science and Machine Learning: By having Azure Table Storage data in MS SQL Server, you can apply machine learning models to your data for predictive analytics, customer segmentation, and more.
7. Reporting and Visualization: While Azure Table Storage provides reporting tools, data visualization tools like Tableau, PowerBI, Looker (Google Data Studio) can connect to MS SQL Server, providing more advanced business intelligence options. If you have a Azure Table Storage table that needs to be converted to a MS SQL Server table, Airbyte can do that automatically.

Wrapping Up

To summarize, this tutorial has shown you how to:

1. Configure a Azure Table Storage account as an Airbyte data source connector.
2. Configure MS SQL Server as a data destination connector.
3. Create an Airbyte data pipeline that will automatically be moving data directly from Azure Table Storage to MS SQL Server after you set a schedule

With Airbyte, creating data pipelines take minutes, and the data integration possibilities are endless. Airbyte supports the largest catalog of API tools, databases, and files, among other sources. Airbyte's connectors are open-source, so you can add any custom objects to the connector, or even build a new connector from scratch without any local dev environment or any data engineer within 10 minutes with the no-code connector builder.

We look forward to seeing you make use of it! We invite you to join the conversation on our community Slack Channel, or sign up for our newsletter. You should also check out other Airbyte tutorials, and Airbyte’s content hub!