SQL Server

Plotting SQL Server Performance counters with Python

As a consultant, I often use Performance Monitor (Perfmon) to collect performance metrics for SQL Server. After running Perfmon for, say, a week to capture a baseline of server activity, you can end up with a(…)

Make SQL Server services more secure with Managed Service Accounts

In the past years, I actively have been involved in securing MSSQL Instances (and other services).This lead me to use the Managed Service Accounts (MSA) and the grouped Managed Service Accounts (gMSA)The MSA have been introduced in Windows Server 2008(…)

Cześć polska! SQLDay2024 in Wrocław

Welcome to the SQLDay!! With these words, the start of the event was announced punctually at 10 am. Now the question, what can we expect? A total of 59 speakers in 49 sessions will share their experiences and skills(…)

Build SQL Server audit reports with Powershell

Introduction When you are tasked with conducting an audit at a client’s site or on the environment you manage, you might find it necessary to automate the audit process in order to save time. However, it can be challenging to(…)

SQL-Server: What are VLF’s and why should I care about them?

Introduction: What are VLF’s? In SQL-Server, the transaction log is divided into several logical units called virtual log files (VLF). The amount of virtual log files and their size are managed automatically by the database engine. The database engine adds(…)

SQL Server Security: Ensure that SQL Server service accounts are not a member of the Windows local Administrator group

These last few weeks, I work on a project to check the compliance of an instance with the Center for Internet Security (CIS) document. The Benchmark documentation provides prescriptive guidance to secure SQL Server and I develop a tool(…)

SQL Server: Manage large data ranges using partitioning

Introduction:  When it comes to moving ranges of data with many rows across different tables in SQL-Server, the partitioning functionality of SQL-Server can provide a good solution for manageability and performance optimizing. In this blog we will look at the(…)

Attach database error (SMB Fileshare)

Starting with SQL Server 2012, SQL Server supports databases using the Server Message Block (SMB) file server as a storage option. For performance and reliability reasons, SMB 3.0 or later is preferred to use.For architectures like Always On(…)

PosgreSQL + SQL Server = WiltonDB – Part 1 – Installation

I know,  few years ago, it was uncredible to associate SQL Server & PostgreSQL or see Microsoft in the Open source world. 😉 The world changes and we follow it… My colleague Daniel Westermann will enjoy that I write(…)

Boost dynamic SQL with Plan Guides

Recently a customer asked me to check why a load process from a banking application has so poor performance.In fact this process is extremely slow, between 40 minutes up to more than one hour to load around 240’000 rows. As(…)