SQL Server 2012 extended support ends July 12, 2022 – no more patches of any kind. I hope this isn’t news to you, and you’re already planning a migration. Before I post about a migration plan, though, I’d like to take a look back at SQL Server 2012.
What were some new features in SQL Server 2012, and how did they fare over time?
Reading the SQL Server Error Log is important when troubleshooting many issues for SQL Server. Some example issues would be errors related to Always On Availability Groups, long IO occurrence messages, and login failures.
Unfortunately, the SQL Server Error Log can be very full of information, making specific things hard to find, especially if you’re just visually scrolling the Error Log. Even if you’re recycling the Error Log each day and keeping 30 or more days of error log, on a busy system, the error log can still be quite full, even for a single day.
SQL Server Developers are under-rated.
That’s right! I’m a DBA and I said, “SQL Developers are under-rated.” Dedicated SQL Developers help I.T. teams by writing efficient code that gets just the data that is needed and in a way that leverages how the database engine works best. How do you ensure you’re doing great work for your company and building code that will stand the test of time?
I’m so glad you asked!
You know you need to be thinking about SQL Server security, but maybe you’re not sure where to start. Topics like firewalls and ports and port scanners and such may be dancing your mind. Those are good things to think about, but they are not under your sphere of influence as a data professional in charge of SQL Server. So, what can you do?
Your first place to start is by looking at the Logins, which as I’ve explained in a previous post, are at the level of the SQL Server instance level.
You’re a data professional and you’ve been given the keys to a new SQL Server environment. You know you need to build a SQL Server inventory so you know what is in your environment, but how do you get that information?
One of the things I have talked about in other posts is how to create a SQL Server inventory. I’ve discussed using the MAP Toolkit and building your own inventory database using T-SQL. Today, we’ll see another way to generate a list of SQL Servers in your environment.
You need to create a SQL Server inventory. Without this information, you’ll be unaware of critical information about the environment your responsible to manage.
We’re on a journey to make sure that you as a DBA know what SQL Servers are in your environment so you know what you’re responsible for managing. As your guide, I discussed in a previous post, how to get started with using the MAP Toolkit from Microsoft to get a list of SQL Servers in your environment and some key metadata about them.
I was recently thinking of SQL Server temporal tables and how there is a perspective that you shouldn’t use proprietary features of a product because it locks you into that product. I want to be your guide on this matter.
First of all, that product was chosen for a reason so it’s unlikely that any time soon it’s going to be replaced. This is especially true if we’re talking about database platforms. Doing that type of wholesale swap out is expensive because you’re paying you’re employees to do the long, tedious work to do that platform switch.
You’re a data professional learning about managing SQL Server and you’ve been asked to grant permissions for SQL Server to an individual or a group of individuals. What do you need to understand in order to accomplish this? I’ll be your guide to getting started with handling access to SQL Server.
Let’s start with an analogy.
Keys and fobs are common place these days for vehicles. Sometimes if you have a fob it ties into the ignition allowing for push button start so no key is needed for that. That’s not always the case though. Many people still have key and fob combos on their key ring. For our purposes, we’re going to assume that is the case.
The MAP Toolkit, also called the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, is a standard way to obtain information about your Microsoft environment. This includes your SQL Server. The tool is so common that a link to it is included in the SQL Server media. This tool will scan your network and provide a fairly comprehensive report on SQL Servers it finds. The direct link to the MAP Toolkit download is located here. Be sure to download all the files from that page.
You’re a data professional and you’re trying to keep up with patching a wide range of SQL Server versions and editions. How do you know what’s in the CU and whether you should apply it or not? My favorite way to read up on CUs is to go to SQLServerUpdates and click around there. It will take you to the latest CU pages as well as give you a way to see previous CUs that are available.