The Microsoft Build conference kicked off this morning with a keynote that lasted nearly 3 hours and included announcements on Azure, Office 365, Windows 10, and HoloLens.

Personally, I was most excited to hear about Azure SQL database pool and Data Warehouse, the Cortana integration on Windows 10, support for Chrome extensions in Microsoft Edge (formerly "Project Spartan") and the potential of virtual reality apps with HoloLens.

The keynote was recorded and will be available soon (along with all Build sessions) http://www.buildwindows.com/. I encourage you to watch for yourself, determine the topics that most interest you, and watch breakout sessions that dive deeper into those topics.

Below are notes I took during the keynote. This is by no means an official list and I may have misheard some things. But I think it will give you an idea of where Microsoft is headed the next few months.

Azure
    Docker for Windows
        Multi-containers
        Mix and match Windows & Linux containers. Run on any server
        NEW: Ability to debug .NET app in Linux deployed in Docker
    Azure App Service
    Logic Apps
        In Preview Portal
        Uses "Swagger" applications
        Visual workflow? Similar to ITTT?
    Visual Studio Code
        Lightweight IDE
        Version of VS that runs on Mac and LINUX
        free
        Available today
    SQL Azure
        Elastic database pool
            combine multiple "databases" into 1 db pool
            Manage all databases together
                Modify schema of every db
                Update statistics of every db
        SQL Data Warehouse
            Quick and easy to create
            Import data from any data source
                e.g., SQL DB, Hadoop, SAP
                From Azure or on-premises data
            Create reports with Power BI
            Use Azure Machine Learning to analyze data
            Auto-Scale in seconds
            Can independently adjust compute & storage
        Azure Data Lake Service
            store and manage infinite data
            saved in original form
            exposes data using Hadoop HDFS API
Office
    Sway
        Tell a story with Office documents
    Outlook plug-ins
        SAP and Linkedin: Look up info on contact & their companies
        Schedule plug-in from Uber
    Unified Office365 API Endpoint
https://graph.microsoft.com
        Returns data as JSON
        Drill into details of "graph"
    Web SDK for Skype
        Embed Skype into your app
Windows 10
    Easier to discover apps in store
    Windows Store for Business
        For customers or students
        Supports other payment methods (e.g., Purchase Orders)
    Win10 was a free upgrade for 1st year
    Goal: 1 billion Windows 10 device in 2-3 years
    1 binary and 1 code base on multiple platforms (Phones, tablets, PCs, Xbox)
    Web Sites can use Windows 10 tools (e.g., Live Tiles, Toast)
    .NET and Win32 apps in Windows store
    Android apps on Windows Phone
    Objective-C code will compile in Visual Studio on Windows
    Windows Spotlight
        On lock screen
        Learn of new features
    Cortana
        Natural language
    Microsoft Edge
        Windows 10 browser
        Formerly Project Spartan
        Written as a Universal App
        Runs Chrome extensions
    Continuum for Phones
        Any screen can be a PC (e.g., Phone)
    Hololens
        Windows Holographic
            Universal apps in Hololens
            Pin apps to walls in virtual world
        Makers can integrate HoloLens virtual world with real-world devices
Satya Nadella: Our goal is to move users from needing Windows to choosing Windows to loving Windows