A Fine Slice Of SQL Server
The Log Replay Service (LRS) is a new Azure service that allows you to migrate your databases from SQL Server on-premises, SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines, Amazon EC2, Amazon RDS for SQL Server, or Google Compute Engine to Azure SQL Managed Instance. LRS is a free cloud service that uses log shipping technology to enable custom migrations of databases from SQL Server 2008 through 2022.
Read on for some configuration options and tips on how to use the service.
Comments closedSteve Stedman helps us understand a DBCC command:
DBCC CHECKALLOC is a database console command (DBCC) in Microsoft SQL Server that can be used to check the allocation and structural integrity of the data and index pages in a database. Checking the allocation and structural integrity of the pages can be useful for identifying and correcting issues with the database that could cause errors or performance issues.
Read on to learn more and see a couple examples of it in action.
Comments closedHenrietta Domborvskaya takes a look at memory parameters in Postgres:
Ordinary PostgreSQL users often do not know that PostgreSQL configuration parameters exist, let alone what they are and what they mean. There is a good reason for such ignorance since, in real life, ordinary users don’t have any say in how these parameters are set. Configuration parameters are set not just for a database but for the whole instance, which may have multiple databases, so any individual user will get the same as others get. To be completely transparent, in some cases, the said ordinary users can specify some parameters just for their own uses, but let’s hold our horses for now.
There are over three hundred PostgreSQL configuration parameters, so no wonder that even experienced DBAs often do not know what each of these parameters does. That is perfectly fine; however, there is a widespread belief that somewhere, in the secret vaults of many consulting companies, there is a treasure chest of perfect PostgreSQL parameter settings.
Read on for more information about config parameters in general, followed by several memory-related parameters you can tweak and some guidance on where to begin with them.
Comments closedA tag is a user-defined label that can be attached to a Snowflake object, such as a database, table, or column. Tags can categorize objects based on any criteria that you choose, such as sensitivity, business unit, project, or owner. Once tags have been applied, you can use them to control access to the tagged objects, track usage and costs, and apply policies and rules.
Now let’s apply tagging to a specific use case: identifying sensitive customer data. For example, let’s assume that you have a table in Snowflake called “customers” that contains customer information, including their addresses. We want to categorize the “address” column as sensitive so that we can apply data protection policies and controls.
Click through for a few examples of how to create tags, apply tags to database objects, and review tagged objects.
Comments closedLaith Ayesh has a script for us:
In a few scenarios, you might need to scale multiple databases on a logical server (not part of elastic pool) at once, the azure portal only allows you to scale each database individually. This can be achieved using the following PowerShell script:
just modify the parameters like SubID, the resource group and server name and then pick the service tier you want and run the script:
Click through for the Powershell script and an important note.
Comments closedJoji Varghese gives us a hand:
In an Azure Kubernetes (AKS) cluster, Pods can access physical storage resources such as disks or volumes using Persistent Volumes (PV). To use these resources, Pods need to make a Persistent Volume Claim (PVC), which requests a specific amount of storage from a storage class. This claim can then be matched to an available Persistent Volume. Azure offers several storage solutions that can be used to provision Persistent Volumes in an AKS cluster.
This article will provide real-world guidance on securely using Container Storage Interface (CSI) drivers to provision Azure File Shares and Azure Blob storage in an AKS cluster.
If you’re looking at setting up Azure Kubernetes Service, give this a review.
Comments closedBill Kindle takes us through several Powershell cmdlets:
A common SysAdmin task involves managing a PowerShell IP configuration. Typically, one performs this task using the GUI, which is OK. But PowerShell can do the same job and more, which you can put into scripting.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to use a few network management cmdlets in PowerShell to help manage a Windows host’s IP address, gateway, and DNS settings.
Understanding how to do this becomes even more important if you’re running Windows Server Core, where you don’t have too many choices other than rolling with Powershell.
Comments closedNote: Unlike other queries I have share here at TheSQLReport, I am the author of this one. Sharing because I could not find it in my Google Searches. Tested this back to version SQL Server 2012. Also please remember that physical_memory_in_use_kb may be a constantly changing number depending on how SQL Server is configured & the activity of the operating system.
Click through for the query and an example of it in action.
Comments closedLouis Davidson talks turkey about tooling:
When I was a DBA involved with the management of a large number of database servers, I didn’t have many third-party tools to help me do my job. For the most part, I relied on scripts that I found or wrote. I enjoyed writing scripts to manage the servers, as it taught me a lot about the internals of SQL Server. Many of these scripts were eventually automated using SQL Server’s agent to run and save data on the different servers so we could review the results, looking for issues.
Some of these tools written over 20 years ago still run to this day. We captured tons of data about everything we wanted to know about the server in case there were issues. Loads and loads of data. We had some processes that would scan that data and send emails when obvious errors occurred, but it was hard to keep synchronized over many different servers.
Click through for Louis’s thoughts. I believe good tools can make a DBA’s life a lot easier, though mediocre tools might make it worse: you become the proverbial drunk looking for his keys under a streetlamp because that’s where the light is.
Comments closedSean Gallardy answers a question:
I see many questions, and have been on the receiving end of many myself, about out of support items and removing them from their SQL Server servers. One of these items is the SQL Server Native Client, aka SNAC, aka SQLNCLI, and I’m sure many others. I remember investigating the connections a very long time ago when availability groups first came around (2012) and haven’t looked at it since that time. A question on the database administrators stack exchange asked the question about if SNAC could be removed on a SQL Server 2019 instance used in high availability and my gut reaction was, “nope.” Gut reactions are great but not always correct, so I did a little testing.
Click through for the results of Sean’s testing.
Comments closed