[update The Training Kit version announced here is now obsolete: today (2/6/2009) we announced the availability of the February Update of the Azure Services Training Kit. Read about this update here]

You all heard the news: Windows Azure here, Azure Services there... now it's time to get you hands dirty: the team I working on, the Azure Services Evangelism team, just released the PDC preview of the Azure Services Training Kit. This is a handy package which contains a lot of things you can play with for exploring the new .NET Services, SQL Data Services, Live Services and Windows Azure:

• Hands on labs. All the HOLs that are available here in the Big Room on the PDC floor are here, in this neat package. Play with it, and if you have feedback on the .NET Access Control Service lab feel free to ping me :)
• Samples. Those are projects aimed at single technologies which show off programming model and examples of what you can achieve
• Complete demos. Everybody on the team came out with one or more complete demos, which demonstrate advanced use of the technologies (and combinations) in fairly realistic scenarios. Mine ended up in yesterday's talk with Kim and I am still figuring out how to package it, but all the other demos (OF COURSE) take advantage of identity so you're covered
• Tools. This is one of the things I think have the most value. In this release of the kit we are providing a complete MMC for managing your .NET service solution: access control rules, SQL Data service, workflows... this is all available in a handy rich client interface: and interestingly enough, all the interactions with the management APIs is wrapped in powershell cmdlets which can be used standalone for scripting your provisioning & maintenance :-). I have to confess that I am inordinately proud of the access control view, which I really find useful to the point that I am already abusing it (used for preparing the demo, for showing the demo and for demonstrating it at the booth). Again, if you have feedback on that specific part I'd be really glad to hear it :-)

This was a true collective effort, which makes me proud to be part of the team. And since I'm at it, who's on the Azure Services Evangelism team?

• James Conard. Our fearless (&tireless) leader
• David Aiken - Windows Azure
• Nigel Watling - .NET Services
• Ryan Dunn - SQL Data Services
• Vittorio Bertocci - Identity (.NET Access Control & identity overall)

I am sure that everybody on the team will have different perspective, according to specific technology and personal tastes :-)

I hope you'll enjoy fiddling with the Kit: stay tune for updates!