Recently, I presented my “Back up and Restore your Database with Azure Blob Storage” session to the Bellingham PASS Chapter. There are two components to the Azure Blob Storage Sync and Restore utility: Sync and…
When I’m interviewing a SQL Server DBA, I have three questions that I always ask. My favourite interview question is this: “What is the difference between a clustered and a non-clustered index?” My second favourite…
It’s the 2016 PASS Summit at the end of this month, and I’ll be attending for my third year. Because I’m a glutton for punishment, I’ll also be writing bonus posts for the month of…
This post comes to you from the Spanish countryside. I travel a lot these days, sometimes even for work. The best part about travelling, apart from food, is knowing that my backups are in good…
SQL Server 2016, released last month, now lets us back up our database files to two locations simultaneously. This is very good news if we’re running the latest and greatest (and it really is a good…
Much has been written about the log backup chain in SQL Server, where we are able to restore a database to a point in time using a combination of full, differential and transaction log backups. This…
What does the expiration date mean on SQL Server database backups? In SQL Server Management Studio, there’s an option in the Back Up Database wizard which explicitly provides an option for “Backup set will expire”.…
We hear a lot about “best practice”, but what does it mean in the context of SQL Server? Wikipedia describes best practice as follows: A best practice is a method or technique that has been…
We back up our databases regularly. We store them on a secure network location so that if the database drive fails, we can still satisfy the requirements for a rapid disaster recovery time (RTO, or…
Blob Storage Sync tool updated During a SQL Server migration this month, I found some inconsistencies in my Azure Blob Storage Sync tool, so I made several improvements, and fixed an outstanding bug. As you…
One of the new features in SQL Server 2016 Standard Edition, which may appeal to users of the deprecated Database Mirroring feature, is Basic Availability Groups, a variation of Availability Groups found in the Enterprise…
Yesterday at SQLSaturday #407 in Vancouver, I announced availability of a free tool to synchronise and restore your SQL Server backups using Azure Blob Storage. It can work alongside your existing backup process, and leverages…
On Saturday, 27 June 2015, I will be presenting at SQLSaturday #407 in Vancouver BC. The session is titled “Restoring a SQL Server Database from Azure Blob Storage”. I will be releasing some new content…
I have been selected to speak at SQLSaturday #407 in Vancouver, on 27 June 2015. My topic is about restoring SQL Server backups from Azure Blob Storage, and how to make this process easier (and…
I’ve been vocal for some years about the importance of backups, and I have zero sympathy for anyone who does not have good backups*. This comes with (very) painful experience: a few years ago, during…