Microsoft

SQL Server failover cluster, VSphere, & SCSI-3 reservation nightmares

When I have to install a virtualized SQL Server FCI at a customer place as an SQL Server consultant, the virtualized environment usally is ready. I guess this is the same for most part of the database consulting people.

Windows 10: The new features

First, it should have been Windows 9, but finally the new Microsoft operating system is named Windows 10! In the same way as for my blog post on Windows 8, I have decided to write a few words(…)

SQL Server: Forced failover with AlwaysOn & Availability Groups

During a workshop at one of my customer about the implementation of SQL Server AlwaysOn and availability groups, I had an interesting discussion. It was about asynchronous replication between 2 replicas and the effect of the forced failover operation(…)

SQL Server 2014 Tips: Create indexes directly via CREATE TABLE

This week, I discovered a new enhancement which is not hidden but not really visible in SQL Server 2014. Among Hekaton and other new features in SQL Server 2014, a little option appears in table creation.8-O On the(…)

SQL Server 2014: classic commit vs commit with delayed durability & I/Os

When you learn about SQL Server, you will often hear that a commit transaction is a synchronous operation and that you can trust it. In this blog post, I will provide some details about what we mean by synchronous(…)

How to find the SQL Server Management Pack in the SCOM database

While working on a customer project, I needed to retrieve the SQL Server SCOM Management Pack version. Unfortunately, the SCOM team took a while to answer and as I am the DBA, I have access to the SCOM databases.

Deploying a SQL Server database to Azure

Deploying an SQL Server database to a Windows Azure virtual machine is a feature introduced with SQL Server 2014. It can be useful for an organization  that wants to reduce its infrastucture management, simplify the deployment, or have a(…)

SQL Server 2014: DBCC CHECKDB and ReFS support

Have you noticed an interesting behavior with SQL Server 2014 when you are running a dbcc checkdb command? If not, you should have a look at this blog post. I discovered it completely by accident during some tests. If(…)

Backup a SQL Server database from On-Premise to Azure

SQL Server database backup & restore from On-Premise to Azure is a feature introduced with SQL Server 2012 SP1 CU2. In the past, it could be used with these three tools: Transact-SQL (T-SQL) PowerShell SQL Server Management Objects (SMO) With(…)

SQL Server Perfmon does not start automatically

I have recently used perfmon (performance monitor) at a customer site. I created a Data Collector Set to monitor CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network during one day. Then, I ran the monitor and I received a “beautiful” error message…(…)