Cannot find type Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.SqlDatabase.Services.ImportExportRequest - azure

Question

I am backing up Azure SQL Database with PowerShell. The final part of the script, which is working fine, is this:
Write-Output "Exporting databases"
foreach ($db in $azSqlServerDatabases) {
$exportRequest = Start-AzureSqlDatabaseExport -SqlConnectionContext $azSqlStageConnContext -StorageContainer $container -DatabaseName $db.Name -BlobName ($db.Name + ".bacpac")
$exportRequests.Add($exportRequest)
Write-Output ($db.Name + ".bacpac")
}
I am trying to create generic list:
$exportRequests = New-Object 'System.Collections.Generic.List[Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.SqlDatabase.Services.ImportExportRequest]'
Which must hold the results of the requests. The problem is that when I create the generic list I get an error:
New-Object : Cannot find type [System.Collections.Generic.List[Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.SqlDatabase.Services.ImportExportRequest]]: verify that the assembly containing this type is lo
aded.
At C:...
+ ... tRequests = New-Object 'System.Collections.Generic.List[Microsoft.Win ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidType: (:) [New-Object], PSArgumentException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : TypeNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewObjectCommand
Where can I find this type? Why it is not included - I am calling Start-AzureSqlDatabaseExport successfully and I get the result object - so the type is known already.
Trying to create just one object of the type manually in the Azure PowerShell Console throws the same exception:
PS C:\> $x = new-object 'Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.SqlDatabase.Services.ImportExportRequest'
new-object : Cannot find type [Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.SqlDatabase.Services.ImportExportRequest]: verify that t
he assembly containing this type is loaded.
At line:1 char:6
+ $x = new-object 'Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.SqlDatabase.Services ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidType: (:) [New-Object], PSArgumentException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : TypeNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewObjectCommand
PS C:\>
I got the output type from MS documentation.

Answer 1

I ran getType() on the object returned by Start-AzureSQLDatabaseExport. Looks like you ran into a type issue. The actual type of the object returned by Start-AzureSQLDatabaseExport is Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.SqlDatabase.Model.SqlDatabaseServerOperationContext.
Try declaring your list like below:
$exportRequests = New-Object 'System.Collections.Generic.List[Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.SqlDatabase.Model.SqlDatabaseServerOperationContext]'

Answer 2

Thank you #elfisher for the assistance. Here is the final version of my command just in case somebody find it helpful. It helps me export all the dbs from azure server during dev and test.
# The command will prompt only once for most parameters during one session
param(
[string] $azSubscriptionId,
[string] $azStorageName,
[string] $azStorageKey,
[string] $azContainerName,
[string] $azSqlServerName,
[string] $azSqlServerUserName,
[string] $azSqlServerPassword)
#if you want to clean up all globally created vars => Remove-Variable -Name 'az*'
Remove-Variable -Name 'az*'
#Remove-Variable -Name 'azAccount' # clean up acc credentials. Can be removed but once in a while the credentials for the account get expired
#region azAccount
$azAccount = Get-AzureAccount
if(!$azAccount)
{
Do
{
Write-Output "No azure account. Prompting ..."
$azAccount = Add-AzureAccount
} While (!$azAccount)
Set-Variable -Name azAccount -Value $azAccount -Scope Global
$azAccount = Get-AzureAccount
}
#endregion
#region azSubscriptionId
if(!$azSubscriptionId)
{
Do
{
Write-Output "No subscription Id. Prompting ..."
$azSubscriptionId = Read-Host "Subscription Id"
} While (!$azSubscriptionId)
Write-Output "Input for subscription Id $azSubscriptionId"
Set-Variable -Name azSubscriptionId -Value $azSubscriptionId -Scope Global
}
Select-AzureSubscription -SubscriptionId $azSubscriptionId
Write-Output "Selected subscription Id $azSubscriptionId"
#endregion
#region azStorageName
if(!$azStorageName)
{
Do
{
Write-Output "No storage name. Prompting ..."
$azStorageName = Read-Host "storage name"
} While (!$azStorageName)
Set-Variable -Name storageName -Value $azStorageName -Scope Global
}
#endregion
#region azStorageKey
if(!$azStorageKey)
{
Do
{
Write-Output "No storage key. Prompting ..."
$azStorageKey = Read-Host "storage key"
} While (!$azStorageKey)
Set-Variable -Name azStorageKey -Value $azStorageKey -Scope Global
}
#endregion
#region azContainerName
if(!$azContainerName)
{
Do
{
Write-Output "No container name. Prompting ..."
$azContainerName = Read-Host "container name"
} While (!$azContainerName)
Set-Variable -Name azContainerName -Value $azContainerName -Scope Global
}
#endregion
#region azSqlServerName
if(!$azSqlServerName)
{
Do
{
Write-Output "No sql server name. Prompting ..."
$azSqlServerName = Read-Host "sql server name"
} While (!$azSqlServerName)
Set-Variable -Name azSqlServerName -Value $azSqlServerName -Scope Global
}
#endregion
#region azSqlServer
if(!$azSqlServer)
{
Write-Output "No sql server variable stored on this PC. Prompting ..."
$azSqlServer = Get-AzureSqlDatabaseServer -ServerName $azSqlServerName
Set-Variable -Name azSqlServer -Value $azSqlServer -Scope Global
}
#endregion
#region azSqlServerCredenials
if(!$azSqlServerCredenials)
{
Do
{
Write-Output "No sql server credentials. Prompting ..."
$azSqlServerCredenials = Get-Credential "Enter Credentials for $azSqlServerName"
} While (!$azSqlServerCredenials)
Set-Variable -Name azSqlServerCredenials -Value $azSqlServerCredenials -Scope Global
}
#endregion
#region Sql connection context
if(!$azSqlCtx)
{
Write-Output "No Sql Server Context. Creating..."
$azSqlCtx = New-AzureSqlDatabaseServerContext -ServerName $azSqlServer.ServerName -Credential $azSqlServerCredenials
Set-Variable -Name azSqlCtx -Value $azSqlCtx -Scope Global
Write-Output "Sql Server Context for $azSqlServer.ServerName created."
}
#endregion
#region Storage connection context
if(!$azStorageCtx)
{
Write-Output "No Storage Context. Creating..."
$azStorageCtx = New-AzureStorageContext -StorageAccountName $azStorageName -StorageAccountKey $azStorageKey
Set-Variable -Name azStorageCtx -Value $azStorageCtx -Scope Global
Write-Output "Storage context for $azStorageName created."
}
#endregion
#region Storage container ref
if(!$azStorageContainer)
{
Write-Output "No container ref. Creating for $azContainerName"
$azStorageContainer = Get-AzureStorageContainer -Name $azContainerName -Context $azStorageCtx
Set-Variable -Name azStorageContainer -Value $azStorageContainer -Scope Global
Write-Output "Container ref to $azStorageContainer created."
}
#endregion
#region Sql Databases ref
if(!$azSqlServerDatabases)
{
Write-Output "No Sql Databases array ref. Creating..."
$azSqlServerDatabases = Get-AzureSqlDatabase -ConnectionContext $azSqlCtx
Set-Variable -Name azSqlServerDatabases -Value $azSqlServerDatabases -Scope Global
Write-Output "Sql Databases array ref created."
}
#endregion
#region actual export of azure databases
$exportRequests = New-Object 'System.Collections.Generic.List[Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.SqlDatabase.Model.SqlDatabaseServerOperationContext]'
Write-Output "Exporting databases"
foreach ($db in $azSqlServerDatabases) {
$exportRequest = Start-AzureSqlDatabaseExport -SqlConnectionContext $azSqlCtx -StorageContainer $azStorageContainer -DatabaseName $db.Name -BlobName ($db.Name + ".bacpac")
$exportRequests.Add($exportRequest)
Write-Output ($db.Name + ".bacpac")
}
#endregion
#import dbs back into your local server
#cd [FOLDERPATH]
#$goodlist = dir
# probably the correct path
##C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\Common7\IDE\Extensions\Microsoft\SQLDB\DAC\120
#cd 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\110\DAC\bin'
#foreach($i in $goodlist){ $name = $i.Name; $namer = $i.Name.Substring(0, $i.Name.length - 7); .\SqlPackage.exe /a:Import /sf:[FOLDERPATH]\$name /tdn:$namer /tsn:[SERVERNAME] }