Creating Azure SQL Database Server connection context New-AzureSqlDatabaseServerContext - powershell

Question

I am trying to create an Azure SQL Database connection context e.g.
$cred = Get-Credential
$ctx = New-AzureSqlDatabaseServerContext -ServerName “mydatabasename” -credential $cred
or
$pwd = ConvertTo-SecureString "[password1234]" -AsPlainText -Force;
$cred1 = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList "databaseadmin", $pwd
New-AzureSqlDatabaseServerContext -ServerName "myservername" -Credential $cred1
And the response is:
New-AzureSqlDatabaseServerContext : Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
At line:2 char:8
+ $ctx = New-AzureSqlDatabaseServerContext -ServerName “myservername” - ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : CloseError: (:) [New-AzureSqlDatabaseServerContext], NullReferenceException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.SqlDatabase.Database.Cmdlet.NewAzureSqlDatabaseServerContext
I've been through the docs and google searches but to no avail.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn546736.aspx
http://sqlmag.com/powershell/manage-azure-sql-databases-powershell
Thanks
Pavel

Answer 1

I recently ran into this issue in a PS runbook. After doing some searching, I found a solution that worked for me. Hopefully it will help you.
The error message isn't particularly helpful (big surprise), but the null object being referenced is the Azure subscription; I'm assuming the exception bubbles up from within the cmdlet rather than being thrown by your own code. By adding these three lines to my code:
$cert = Get-AutomationCertificate -Name $automationCertificateName;
Set-AzureSubscription -SubscriptionName $subName -Certificate $cert -SubscriptionId $subID;
Select-AzureSubscription -Current $subName;
I was able to get past the exception. Above, $automationCertificateName is a variable asset that I added to the automation account. See https://github.com/Microsoft/sql-server-samples/tree/master/samples/manage/azure-automation-automated-export for details about how to set that up.

Answer 2

Here is how I successfully created connection context:
$sqlServerUser = "test-user"
$sqlServerUserPassword = "P#$$w0rd"
$sqlServerName = "mysqlserver"
$sqlCred = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential($sqlServerUser, ($sqlServerUserPassword | ConvertTo-SecureString -asPlainText -Force))
$sqlContext = New-AzureSqlDatabaseServerContext -ServerName $sqlServerName -Credential $sqlCred
Please see this for more details.