I’ve been working with SQL Server for a very long time. Out of the box, SQL Server works great, however there is regular care and feeding that needs to be done to ensure it is running optimally. One of the best analogies is to think about an automobile or airplane and how they need to […]
Category: Azure
How to Protect Against Ransomware as a DBA
Over the years I’ve been called in to work with numerous clients that were hit with ransomware. Even the times that the customer paid the ransom to unlock their encrypted files, there were still issues. Often times there were still issues with the files where they will not restore or data/log files can’t attach to […]
Risk with Not Patching and Upgrading SQL Server
Working with SQL Server over the past 25 years for various organizations all over the world, I usually always find a database server that is well outside of support. I’d be willing to be that anyone reading this blog post in 2024 knows of a SQL 2000 or SQL 2005 instance out there. I hear […]
Getting Error 64 When Trying To Connect to SQL Server or Azure
Often times when working with a client, I’ll run into issues or get emails from a client with a message like the following: A connection was successfully established with the server, but then an error occurred during the pre-login handshake. (provider: TCP Provider, error: 0 – The specified network name is no longer available.) (Microsoft […]
Dynamic Data Masking – SQL Server
Use Dynamic Data Masking to protect your data
Common Issues with SQL Server Backups
I absolutely love talking about SQL Server backup and restores. It is one of my favorite sessions to give at user groups and conferences all over the world. I’ve also written a couple of books on the topic. Over the many years of working with Microsoft SQL Server, I tend to see the same mistakes […]
Online Training Courses
Today Paul sent out the quarterly numbers to the team letting us know the hours our courses have been viewed during March. Being a data guy, I decided that after nearly 5 years of having courses available, I should crunch some numbers. I currently have 4 courses available. SQL Server: Consolidation Tactics and Best Practices […]
Updated Default Settings for Azure SQL Managed Instance Databases
A common saying about Azure is that it is always changing. This is a very accurate statement, want proof, just take a look at Microsoft Build 2020. Microsoft is always improving the environment by adding new features, tweaking interfaces, tweaking features, and much more. I’ve been working with Managed Instance since private preview and just […]