Using the default SQL Server instance for Windows Azure development storage

http://www.wadewegner.com/2010/07/using-the-default-sql-server-instance-for-windows-azure-development-storage/

This tip isn’t new, but it’s still useful. I found myself building a new development box this week, and I didn’t want to use SQLExpress for the Windows Azure development storage. Instead, I wanted
to use the default instance for SQL Server.

It’s pretty simple to do this – after you install the Windows Azure SDK and Tools, go to a command prompt and browse to the following folder:C:Program FilesWindows Azure SDKv1.2bindevstore (or wherever
you installed the SDK). From there, use the DSInit.exe tool:

DSInit.exe /sqlInstance:.

Remember that the . is a reference to the default instance. If you want to target an instance name, you can use:

DSInit.exe /sqlInstance:YourInstanceName

Note: from riverlau

In SDK v1.6, the
DSInit.exe path is changed to "C:\Program Files\Windows Azure Emulator\emulator\devstore\DSInit.exe"