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T-SQL Tuesday #131 – Star Trek Candy and SWITCH TO

2020-10-13
SQL Server Database Development, SQL Server Database Engine, T-SQL
1 Comment

This month’s #tsql2sday came to us from Rob Volk (b|t), who asks us to explain databases using an analogy, as if explaining to a 5 year old. I’m actually a big fan of The Feynman Technique (aka ELI5), so I really wanted to participate. But to be honest, I nearly missed out this time simply because I couldn’t think of an idea this whole week.

On the very last day, when the posts already started rolling out by all the bloggers, I’ve read a few, and only then the muse finally hit me. I kid you not, the time is literally 23:59 here in Israel as I hit the publish button!

So anyways, the idea I had was for the ALTER TABLE..SWITCH TO command in SQL Server.

How to Troubleshoot THREADPOOL Waits and Deadlocked Schedulers

2020-10-052022-12-31
SQL Server Performance, T-SQL, Tools and Scripts
6 Comments

In this blog post I’ll help you troubleshoot the rare but critical issues of Deadlocked Schedulers and high THREADPOOL waits – using practical means.

Also, very useful T-SQL script towards the end.

Feature Request – Expand MSX/TSX Capabilities for HADR

2020-09-16
Life, SQL Server Database Engine, Tools and Scripts

Following my presentation of “How to HADR Your SQL Server Jobs” at the HA/DR PASS Virtual Group yesterday, David Klee (@kleegeek) and I continued chatting for a bit longer after the recording was concluded. During which, the MSX/TSX feature of SQL Server came up, and David suggested that I’d utilize my newly earned MVP status to push a feature request to expand these capabilities.

Using Extended Events as a Buffer

Assume you have some kind of process outside the SQL Server which is supposed to record some kind of database activity. There are many ways to do it, most of which require constant and/or stable connection to the database. But what if that’s not good enough? Let’s consider our options.

Overriding the Authentication in SSRS for External Access

In this post, I hope to summarize the various methods that we have, in order to get rid of that annoying authentication prompt. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of complexity of implementation, versatility, and the level of security that it provides. More specifically: the more secure and versatile a method is – the more complicated it is to implement.

How to Protect SQL Server from Hackers and Penetration Tests

2020-07-28
SQL Server Database Development

On June 3rd, the InfosecMatter blog published a post titled “Top #10 Vulnerabilities: Internal Infrastructure Pentest“. This blog post detailed the top most common vulnerabilities in Windows servers and networks found during more than 60 internal infrastructure penetration tests around the world. After reading this article, I was prompted to actively look for similar resources on SQL Server penetration testing, and I got some interesting findings. Check out my blog post at the Madeira Data Solutions website for the details.

T-SQL Tuesday #128 – Learn from Others

2020-07-14
SQL Server Performance

This month’s #tsql2sday is hosted by the @AirborneGeek (t|b), who asks us to take a lesson from something frequently done by pilots – learning from accidents and mistakes done by others. As a long-time SQL Server Consultant DBA, I have learned from quite a lot of mistakes done (mostly) by others, seeing as a significant part of my job description is to come over and fix such mistakes. So, today I’ll use this opportunity to talk about one such interesting incident.

Migrating from CosmosDB to SQL Server

Let’s be honest here, Microsoft doesn’t want you to read this. Microsoft doesn’t want you to have this. Microsoft doesn’t want this to be easy for you. Maybe with good reason. But most likely not really.

Planning a Migration from Azure SQL DB to Azure Managed Instance

2020-06-01
Microsoft Azure, SQL Server Database Engine
7 Comments

Problem

Your organization has been using Azure SQL DB (Single Database) for a while now, and has come to the realization that a lot of missing features are hindering your development efforts and limiting your product offerings.

You have a need for wider access to instance-level features on the one hand, but you still want to retain managed service features in the Azure cloud, such as 99.99% uptime SLA, automatic updates, Advanced Data Security, and Azure SQL Log Analytics, and basically not having to manage an IaaS virtual machine.

Therefore, you reach the conclusion that Azure SQL Managed Instance (MI) is the right solution for you at this time.

Control SQL Jobs based on HADR Role – Taking it to the Next Level

2020-05-262024-05-12
SQL Server Database Engine, T-SQL, Tools and Scripts
5 Comments

In one of my previous blog posts, Automatically Enable or Disable Jobs based on HADR Role, I provided a solution for automatically enabling or disabling scheduled jobs in combination with Availability Groups and Database Mirroring. In this blog post, I’m going to build upon my previous solution and improve it even further – taking it to the next level of automation!

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