I recently had a friend reach out to me about database performance dropping drastically. I asked if anything had changed recently on the server, and they told me that all they had done was increase the number of files for tempdb from 1 to 8 per best practice. Knowing that this shouldn’t have a negative impact […]
Dynamic Data Masking – SQL Server
Use Dynamic Data Masking to protect your data
SQL Server Recovery Models
When I review customers database environments, I always check to see what the recovery model is for their databases and review that with the customer. I often times have to explain the three recovery models and what they are used for. Simple, Full, and Bulk-Logged. The recovery model that you select will determine how transaction […]
What is Azure SQL
I get asked about Azure SQL very often. This is a topic that I’ve written about and taught many times. To be honest, this is a rather large topic that can go in many different directions. For this post, I want to cover what I consider the basics of Azure SQL. For me, that is […]
Are You Protected from Ransomware
There have been many organizations that have become victims of ransomware over the years. Occasionally we hear about some high-profile cases in the news. Most every case I’ve read about could have been easily prevented, while a few were much more sophisticated in nature. What are some steps that you or your organization can take […]
SQL Server Patching
Why should you patch your SQL Server instances? Compliance, stability, security, reliability, functionality, and more. Microsoft regularly releases updates to SQL Server known as Cumulative Updates (CUs). Cumulative updates often contain security updates that address vulnerabilities in additional to performance and reliability improvements to SQL Server. There are also bug fixes that are often included […]
Why You Should Test Your SQL Server Backups
My number one reason that you should test your backups is to make sure you know how to restore/recover. The absolute worst time to learn how to restore is when a restore is needed. By regularly testing your backups, you build up muscle memory in how to recover. By regularly validating your restore solution, you’ll […]
Why Aren’t You Monitoring SQL Server
I repeat the phrase “If you aren’t monitoring it, you can’t measure it” all the time. Through my IT career, this has been a constant. If you don’t have a baseline or know what normal looks like, then how can you quantify what isn’t normal when a user starts complaining of performance issues. For SQL […]