Importing a BACPAC into Azure SQL Database
In our final look at migrating a database to Azure SQL Database, we will import a BACPAC file. From previous weeks we know that a BACPAC file contains the full schema, as well as the data…
Moving a database to Azure SQL Database
This week we will actually move a database into Azure SQL Database, using the first of two of Microsoft’s recommended methods. The main thing to keep in mind is that SQL Server (on-premises, or “earthed”)…
Should I move my on-premises database to Azure SQL Database?
This week is a shorter post than last week, but it answers a very important question: Should I move my on-premises database to Azure SQL Database? The short answer is: It depends. Firstly, why do…
An Introduction to Azure SQL Database
It’s the second half of 2016, and Azure is the new hotness. I’ve raved about Blob Storage, virtual machines, AzCopy, and all those good things. When the dust settles, though, this blog is about managing…
Backup Retention Policies
Today’s post is just a bunch of questions, but they are very important questions, all around the main topic of a Backup Retention Policy. How long do you keep backups for every database in your environment (including…
What is physical storage anyway?
My friend Jason asked me about his MySQL database export file last week, whether it was sufficient to create a new database. I replied saying that he would have to set up the database separately,…
PSA: Check Your Backups
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…
AzCopy 101 – Copying SQL Server backup files to Azure Blob Storage
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…
Do you need access to Production?
During a recent client meeting about a database migration, I realised that I have never logged into a SQL Server on their production environment. My involvement has been strictly dealing with setting up the new…
The Transaction Log Is Very Resilient
Last week I wondered whether a log backup chain would survive a database migration. Unsurprisingly, the answer is “yes”. I also asked if a log backup taken on the new instance would be usable on…
The Resilience of the Log Backup Chain
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…
Career Limiting Moves – Reply All
In a recent episode of a Netflix show called Grace & Frankie, a vitriolic and profanity-ridden email with very damaging statements was accidentally sent to a mailing list. Fortunately for the characters involved, Siri auto-corrected…
Career Limiting Moves – Assigning Blame
I worked for a vendor implementation partner in the early part of my career, and oftentimes that meant having to set up a training lab, from unpacking rented PCs and plugging them in to getting…
Career Limiting Moves – Saying No
IT departments get a lot of flak because members are accused of saying no to what staff think are perfectly reasonable requests. In this second post of my series about career limiting moves, I’m going…
Career Limiting Moves – Dropping a Table
In this new series, I will share some things that took place early in my career that could have resulted in my looking for new work—but didn’t! This post is also evidence that I haven’t…