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SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines - Performance Optimizations

When deploying SQL Server in an Azure virtual machine, you can take advantage of several Azure Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) features that enhance performance of the SQL Server database engine. This article explores a couple of these enhancements, with a particular focus on increased I/O throughput facilitated by the Solid State Drive (SSD) storage available on most Azure virtual machines (VMs).

External Article

Free Webinar – Database DevOps Demo

Learn how to extend DevOps practices to SQL Server databases in our free demo webinar on January 17th. Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Steve Jones will demonstrate how Redgate’s database automation tools plug into Git, Jenkins & Octopus Deploy. Learn how to branch and merge with SQL Source Control then automate the build and deployment of changes with DLM Automation. Register now.

External Article

Using Power BI Desktop to Visualize SQL Server Metadata

You can easily use PowerBI Desktop to show graphically how your database is growing, which tables are taking the most space, how various parts of SQL Server is consuming memory, its use of indexes and so on. Sure, you can create graphs in SSMS, but with PowerBI, you can create reports that you can then publish to others, and which allow drill-down. It is a great way to get familiar with PowerBI Desktop as well. Rob Sheldon shows how simple it is to do.

External Article

Configure SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Group on a Multi-Subnet Cluster

A “multi-subnet” environment is defined when the OS cluster used as the backbone for AlwaysOn has server nodes that are located in multiple/different subnets. Deploying SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups requires a Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) cluster and each availability replica of a given availability group must reside on a different node of the same WSFC cluster. This post from Manvendra Singh will help you in configuring an HA and DR solution for SQL Server AlwaysOn in multi-subnet networks.

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Question of the Day

An Unusual Identity

What values are returned when I run this code?

CREATE TABLE dbo.IdentityTest2
(
     id NUMERIC(10,0) IDENTITY(10,10) PRIMARY KEY,
     somevalue VARCHAR(20)
)
GO
INSERT dbo.IdentityTest2
(
    somevalue
)
VALUES
( 'Steve')
, ('Bill')
GO
SELECT top 10
 id
 FROM dbo.IdentityTest2

See possible answers