A Fine Slice Of SQL Server
Erik Darling continues to be busy:
I haven’t run into a bug with this thing in just about… Well, ever. This proc has been pretty solid.
As I use it though, especially in front of clients, I find myself wanting some additional data points all in one place. With this release, I’ve added a few small things.
Click through for the list of updates.
Comments closedJason Bouska has a big announcement:
Microsoft Azure SQL Database is a fully managed cloud database (PaaS) that handles many database management tasks without user intervention. Tasks such as patching, upgrading, taking backups, and monitoring can be configured to the specific needs of the workload and are performed in the background. Azure SQL Database runs the latest stable version of SQL Server and patched OS with 99.99% availability. The intelligent automated functions built into the database free up the user to focus on other important tasks.
Today I am introducing the Azure Well-Architected Service Guide for Azure SQL Database. Like other service guides, this guide for Azure SQL Database contains design considerations, checklists, and detailed configuration recommendations that can assist cloud architects in deploying optimal Azure SQL workloads in line with the guiding tenets of the Well-Architected Framework: security, reliability, cost management, performance efficiency, and operational excellence.
I’ve found that the Well-Architected Framework (whose overloaded acronym is still annoying) works best once you’re far enough along that you have a good idea of workload characteristics, meaning it’s not for the pre-planning state. Also, a full review might take hours or days and require several people to complete, not just a DBA.
Comments closedTracy Boggiano continues a series on starting a new job as a DBA:
I mentioned in my New Database Job – The 90 Day Plan blog how I have a trick for storing index usage stats up until close to the next reboot of the SQL Server. You really can do this for any DMV related query that you gets reset at the reboot of a SQL Server instance. With this I am able to have data of the most the current index usage stats up to the midnight before a reboot of my SQL instances to analyze.
This is a good one to store, as is the output of sp_WhoIsActive.
Comments closedLee Markum reviews backup logs:
As data professionals responsible for SQL Server, it is drilled into our heads that we need to take backups. But, how do we know we actually have backups available to us when we need them? How can we verify that a backup has been taken? Some types of auditing that an employer has to undergo might require proof of backups. How will you provide it?
Read on for three options. Note that this post is about finding the existence of backups, not checking to see if the backups are any good.
Comments closedI made some updates to sp_QuickieStore recently, which you can download here.
The main updates to the code are to:
– Add support for SQL Server 2022 views
– Add the ability to search by query hash, plan hash, and SQL handle
But wait, there’s more! Click through to see the full-ish changelog.
Comments closedWill Aftring shows how to put together a network trace:
I know it can be tempting to spin up WireShark and jump right into looking at traces, but asking questions is just as important, if not more important than the traces themselves.
I usually like to group these questions into two groups: technical and general.
Note: I will be using the terms client and server to refer to the sender and receiver. The client is always the sender, the server is always the receiver.
Read on to get an idea of why we might create a network trace, what we intend to learn from it, and then how to do it.
Comments closedLee Markum says farewell to SQL Server 2012:
Today is end of support for SQL Server 2012. May it rest in peace.
Migrating a SQL Server can be a lot of work. There are so many things to think about. It’s a pain.
It is a pain but Lee does have a few tips on how to get started with a migration plan. And as you get closer to present-day SQL Server (remember: there were 4 versions of SQL Server released after 2012 and we’re getting another one this year), being able to set up distributed Availability Groups for version migration can make life a lot easier for you.
Comments closedAndy Leonard automates all the things:
Azure Automation has been around for a few years now. I just got started because my brother and friend, Aaron Nelson (@SQLvariant), shared some automation he’s been working on. Once I got my head around the piece I’m about to share with you, Azure Automation started to make sense to me.
Read on for that piece and a walkthrough chock-full of screenshots.
Comments closedDeepthi Goguri wants a CNAME record:
If you are using the Servername and database name in the connection strings in all the applications connecting to your database being migrated, this process gets tough and tedious to update once the database is migrated to a different server. It is always advised to use database DNS in the connection strings instead of the IP address or the Servername.
This also applies to the report server datasources as well.
I know it is hard to make the change but if the change is good, it is worth the effort.
I think this starts to get tricky as the number of servers and instances increases, especially if your DNS records differ considerably from your server names. Still, I completely agree: using CNAMES makes life a lot easier.
Comments closedChad Callihan reminds us about things in use:
You may have been updating data someone needed for validating a fix. The “_OLD” table that you assumed could be dropped may still have been useful to the person who created it. There might be a database covered in cobwebs that should have been dropped years ago but it could also be a database that’s used for some type of reporting every few months.
Yeah, that’s a pretty common problem. A couple of things which help mitigate this issue:
At the end of the day, however, you shouldn’t be afraid to drop things. Do the appropriate amount of diligence and make it a controlled demolition.
Comments closed