Azure provides built in high availability. In a given server region, you are provided with three local copies of the Azure SQL Database. Geo-Replication Now, if there is an outage covering the entire server region, you can use the Geo-Restore feature or the Geo-replication feature to have a copy of the database in a different region. Geo-Replication offers up a 30 second RTO and a 5 second RPO. And rightfully so, since each secondary is billed at full price. It's a business d

So here's a scenario. You have a client that has implemented SAN storage for your SQL Servers (could be virtual or physical). Your manager tells you that ever since the SAN team got involved things are running slower! And He's sure it's a SAN problem. However, the SAN guys aren't going to do anything unless you provide them with some sort of proof. I'm the type that likes to compound common sense with actual metrics. I'm also the type that likes to work together to resolve th

How to go about dropping less than ideal clients in your practice.

One of the great things about Azure is that backups are automated as part of the service. Azure for SQL touts a 12 hour RTO and a 5 minute RPO for backups that are considered "in-region". The backup schedule is as follows: Full: Weekly Differential: Hourly Transaction Log: 5 mins. Retention Period of the backups depends on the tier that you have selected. Basic: 7 Days Standard and Premium: 35 Days The backups are also Geo-Replicated, which means that in the event of an outa

Going to the Azure Portal, creating our first SQL Database.

If only I could upload my brain to the cloud. BaaS anyone? What is Database as a Service (DaaS)? Azure SQL Database is Microsoft's version of DaaS. DaaS is a cloud service in which the service provider manages the operating system and database software. In addition to that, they may also relieve your IT staff of certain administration tasks such as backups, high availaiblity/DR, patching etc… Pricing. The users of such a service will most likely pay according to their usage.

This past Tuesday I had the privilege of attending the NJ SQL PASS Group meeting in Wayne, NJ. It's typically held at the Microsoft Store in the Willow brook Mall. In the back, they have a huge screen which lends itself nicely for presentations. This week Justin Dearing did a nice presentation on Always Encrypted and Docker. Docker looks like an excellent option for development. No need to spin up an entirely new VM, this is solely application based, which makes it less resou

Not quite... The OVER clause was first introduced to us in SQL 2005. It is often used as a supplement to other functions to provide which rows from a particular query are applied to a function. It is usually presented as part or in addition to an existing result set. There are a few parts to the OVER() clause. ORDER BY (mandatory), PARTITION BY (optional, often used to "restart" numbering or alike), and Framing (we will discuss this in another blog post). Quick example would

What does the performance of SQL Server mean to you and your company? What are the benefits? How is the value perceived? Is it in dollars saved? Dollars earned? How about concepts that do not involve money? Peace of mind? The fact that the server will process these important transactions efficiently and accurately? You always know how long it will take to pull said report? It’s so quick that you can pull it often. Case Scenario: I spent some time working for a major financial

So let's jump right in and see if we can't make some of the In-Memory OLTP features work. Then I can work on elaborating the details. Create Memory Optimized Filegroup I’m going to go through a process of creating a memory optimized filegroup, then we'll add a container to said filegroup. Create Tables: Then I will go ahead and create a traditional table, and a In-Memory optimized table, and add it to the appropriate filegroup. In the InMem table you'll notice that I create a