Today’s users don’t live on just a workstation or a laptop. With the proliferation of laptops, smart phones, and tablets people work from a variety of forms and clients. Building applications that can leverage a consistent view of identity, data and services will enable the workforce to be productive wherever they are. In this session we’ll explore how to design and build applications that span the various device forms and platforms using the tools and features of the Cloud that make it all possible and easy.

1. Building Connected Apps with
Mobile Services
Mike Benkovich - @mbenko
mike@benko.com

2. Session Objectives and Takeaways
What is Mobile Services?
What are the components?
Where to get the tools
How to get started

3. Why Mobile Services?
• Apps are everywhere
• Where’s the Data
• Who’s using it
• Minimize custom code
• Speed to market

4. Where does it run?
• Web
• Windows
• Android
• iOS
• Windows Phone
• etc…
Data
Svc
Data
Identity

5. Connected Patterns
• Create a Data Store
• Add services
• Host it somewhere
• Make it work
Data
Svc
Data
Identity

7. Scenarios
• Modern Mobile Applications
Windows Store, Windows Phone, iOS, Android, HTML
• Common Scenarios
Reduce the friction and work required by providing solutions to
patterns to work with authentication, push
notification, structured storage and more
• Rapid Development
Provision and deploy solutions in minutes rather than days or
weeks

8. What is Mobile Services?

9. To get started…
• Windows Azure subscription
• Database for storing information
– SQL Azure for rapid provisioning and
deployment
– Dynamic Schema
• Service configuration and scaling
– Scripting on data
– Identity and notifications
• SDK to enable identity and notifications

11. Code to instantiate Mobile Services
• In Application object add code to create
an instance of your Mobile Service
• Call methods to operate on the
service…i.e.
public static MobileServiceClient MobileService = new MobileServiceClient(
"https://demoapp123.azure-mobile.net/",
"OxxAAAAbbbCCCCCddEEEfffGGGh12345"
);
private void ButtonSave_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
var todoItem = new TodoItem { Text = TodoInput.Text };
InsertTodoItem(todoItem);
}

12. Storage
• SQL Database partitioned by schema
– Appx.ToDoItem
– Appy.ToDoItem
• Manage data by standard SQL tools
– SQL Management Studio
– Portal
– REST API
– CLI Tools

13. Work with SQL
• Tables created in portal
• Dynamic SQL Enabled
• Create poco classes and persist as
tables

15. Identity
• Use existing identity providers like Oauth
– Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc.
• Authorize to work with data
• Table options
– Everyone
– With application key
– Authenticated users
– Admins

16. Add code to trigger
authentication
private MobileServiceUser user;
private async System.Threading.Tasks.Task Authenticate()
{
while (user == null)
{
string message;
try
{
user = await App.MobileService
.LoginAsync(MobileServiceAuthenticationProvider.Facebook);
message =
string.Format("You are now logged in - {0}", user.UserId);
}
catch (InvalidOperationException)
{
message = "You must log in. Login Required";
}
MessageBox.Show(message);
}
}

18. Server logic
• Scheduled jobs
• Notification services
• Diagnostics, logging and scale

19. Diagnostics, Logging and
Scale
• Diagnostics
– API calls
– CPU Time
– Data Out
• Logging
– console.error(…)
– console.log(…)
– …
Scale - Compute
Scale out instance count
Scale up VM size
Scale - Storage
Scale out mobile service tenant to
dedicated SQL DB
Scale up SQL DB

20. Pricing during Preview
reserved mode
service level
agreements
Preview
No availability SLA*
General Availability
99.9%
Private VM - Small instance
is the only size available
Free - unlimited inbound
data. 165MB outbound
data/day, excess charged.
Pay - SQL Database,
Compute same reduced rate
as Web Sites i.e 33%
discount, excess outbound
transfers starting at
$0.12/GB
Up to 100 applications
shared mode

21. Summary
• Learn and understand the patterns for
connected applications
• Use available tools and technologies to
make it simpler
• Try Azure Mobile Services today for FREE!
http://aka.ms/AzureTrialMB
• More info on my site
http://www.Benkotips.com