Microsoft

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…(…)

Master Data Services installation for SQL Server 2012

This posting is a tutorial for installing Master Data Services on your Windows Server 2012. Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services (MDS) is a Master Management product from Microsoft, code-named Bulldog. It is the rebranding of the Stratature MDM(…)

SQL Server 2014: Are DENY ‘SELECT ALL USERS SECURABLES’ permissions sufficient for DBAs?

SQL Server 2014 improves the segregation of duties by implementing new server permissions. The most important is the SELECT ALL USERS SECURABLES permission that will help to restrict database administrators from viewing data in all databases. My article is(…)

SQL Server: How to find the default data path?

I have read a lot of SQL Server blog postings and articles in order to find the default data path. This post covers different SQL Server versions (SQL Server 2012, SQL Server 2014, SQL Server 2008, SQL Server 2005)(…)