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Author: Kevin Feasel

DOP Feedback in SQL Server 2022

Published 2022-10-21 by Kevin Feasel

Kate Smith points out a new feature in SQL Server 2022:

In SQL Server 2022, we introduced a new feature called DOP feedback. This feature will look at any parallel query and determine if it might perform better with a lower degree of parallelism than currently being used. For example, perhaps 16 threads will perform better than 20 if there are a lot of waits on other threads. It will test out the new degree of parallelism and, either decide that this was a good change and keep the 16 threads, or it will revert to previous levels of parallelism and go back to 20 threads. If the new degree of parallelism is good, then this optimization is persisted inside the query store and will be applied appropriately to a query for future executions. 

Read on for an overview of how it works and what protections are in place to keep it from going completely bonkers. Well, more completely bonkers than what you already have.

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CI/CD with Azure Synapse Link for SQL Server 2022

Published 2022-10-21 by Kevin Feasel

Kevin Chant gives us the whole story:

In this post I want to show you a complete CI/CD experience for Azure Synapse Link for SQL Server 2022 tables. Which uses a YAML Pipeline in Azure DevOps. Including how to automatically stop and start it in the pipeline.

In a previous post I showed how an easier way to perform CI/CD for Azure Synapse Link for SQL Server 2022. Where you only need to stop the link, update the SQL Server database and afterwards start the link again.

However, the best CI/CD solutions are the ones where you do not do any manual work at all. This includes stopping and starting the link.

And that’s just what Kevin gives us.

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Database Projects and Version Control

Published 2022-10-21 by Kevin Feasel

Olivier van Steenlandt helps you get database code into source control:

In this blog post, we will focus on how to get started with Database Projects and how to get this into Source Control (Azure Repos). So together we will create our first Database Project, import our database into the project and push it to the Azure Repository.

Before we can start, we need to make sure that we have the required tools installed, in this blog post I will focus on Visual Studio. In order to create your first Database Project, you need to ensure that the SQL Server Data Tools extension for Visual Studio is installed.

This one I intended to post earlier in the week but it got away from me for a little bit. Do check it out.

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A WPF-Based Countdown Timer

Published 2022-10-20 by Kevin Feasel

Jeffrey Hicks keeps track of time:

Last year I released a PowerShell module called PSClock. The module contains a command to create a transparent WPF form displaying a clock. Shortly after, someone posted a request for a countdown timer. Not an unreasonable request and one I finally got around to implementing. However, I already had a module with a number of timer and countdown-related commands called PSTimers I had been thinking of a WPF-based timer, so this solved two problems.

Read on to see how it works.

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An Analysis of Resumable Online Index Operations

Published 2022-10-20 by Kevin Feasel

Chris Taylor sums it up:

This is more of a heads up for me / reminder regarding some of the caveats to using ONLINE / RESUMABLE index operations with SQL Server.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a ton of advantages to using ONLINE and RESUMABLE which I will highlight below but here is the link to the Microsoft Learn page if you want more in depth information

Read on for the pros and cons. I do like the idea, though I personally haven’t used the feature.

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Power BI Line Chart: Summarized or Split

Published 2022-10-20 by Kevin Feasel

Prathy Kamasani gives us options:

A colleague of mine came to me with an interesting use case, “ Switch between a summarized value or selected value with multiple legends”. For example, I have five countries and their GDP values. When the end user goes to the report, the user would like to see the average GDP of all countries, but when the user selects single or multiple countries on the slicers, the line chart should show only selected values.

Click through for the guide.

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Extended Event Duration Filtering and Looping

Published 2022-10-20 by Kevin Feasel

Erik Darling notes a problem with time-based filters on operations:

There are six waitfor commands that each pause for 1 second. In between them are queries that finish in milliseconds.

If I watch the event output, eventually, I’ll see this:

Okay, so the stored procedure took more than 5 seconds, but… no individual query took more than 5 seconds.

This happens a lot and I’m not sure there’s a good answer for it.

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The Importance of Power BI Object Names

Published 2022-10-20 by Kevin Feasel

Paul Turley sends us an e-mail:

Using common language is critical but often trivialized, when describing requirements, deliverables and project expectations. When people are working together, depending on each other to complete important tasks, they must have a clear understanding of the common language and terminology. It is usually only after a word, phrase or abbreviation has been used with an assumed meaning that we realize the error and have gotten ourselves into trouble. Often, on a daily basis, I review project proposals and requirement documents containing inaccurate language related to Power BI project work. I also getting a lot of virtual eye-rolling when correcting seemingly inconsequential language. But I can also cite many cases when subtle misinterpretations became costly mistakes.

This is at a higher level than naming measures or dimensions.

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Storytelling from a Dashboard

Published 2022-10-19 by Kevin Feasel

Amy Esselman hits on a tricky problem with dashboards:

As powerful and as useful as dashboards are, they’re optimized for the exploration of data, not the communication of specific insights. Once we’ve used our dashboards to uncover something worth sharing, we’ll usually be better served by making a separate presentation, designed to bring the findings to light and get others to act upon the information.

The path from dashboard to story might not always be intuitive. This article will use a dashboard from a recent storytelling with data engagement to illustrate how to transform dashboard insights into an action-inspiring story. 

This is especially important if you’re a developer who understand the value of storytelling but doesn’t quite know how to support it while showing arbitrary data.

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