Milica Medic

Database table partitioning in SQL Server

April 4, 2014 by
 

What is a database table partitioning?

Partitioning is the database process where very large tables are divided into multiple smaller parts. By splitting a large table into smaller, individual tables, queries that access only a fraction of the data can run faster because there is less data to scan. The main of goal of partitioning is to aid in maintenance of large tables and to reduce the overall response time to read and load data for particular SQL operations.

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Milena Petrovic

SQL query performance killers – understanding poor database indexing

March 31, 2014 by
SQL Server performance is affected by many factors. The most common SQL Server performance killers are poor database design, poor indexing, poor query design, not reusable execution plans, frequent query recompilation, excessive fragmentation, and more. With these factors present on your machine, even adding additional hardware resources might not help, as these SQL Server performance killers can use all available resources. Read more »
Ivan Stankovic

SQL Server security and Policy Based Management – Alerting

March 24, 2014 by
In the previous article related to the SQL Server Policy Based Management feature, we discussed and provided steps and tips to create conditions and policies that help maintaining SQL Server security in large enterprises with a number of SQL Server instances. Now, we are going to go further as once set policies are not much of a use if their violations are left unnoticed. Read more »
Marko Radakovic

Using an XML file to configure an SSIS package

March 16, 2014 by
To configure an SSIS package means to choose property/value pairs added to a completed package, and include them in the configuration file for the further modifications. If for any reason some of the values has been changed after the deployment is finished and the package run, they can be added later, opening the package in Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS), and changing the values Read more »
Milica Medic

SQL Database design: Choosing a primary key

March 16, 2014 by
A primary key is a column or a combination of columns that uniquely defines each row in a table. When designing a database choosing a primary key is one of the most important steps. A table can contain one or more columns suitable to be a primary key and that column or columns are called a candidate key. Only one candidate key can be selected as a primary key Read more »
Ivan Stankovic

What is SQL Server log shipping?

March 16, 2014 by

What is SQL Server log shipping?

SQL Server log shipping is a technique which involves two or more SQL Server instances and copying of a transaction log file from one SQL Server instance to another. The process of transferring the transaction log files and restoring is automated across the SQL Servers. As the process result there are two copies of the data on two separate locations Read more »
Ivan Stankovic

SQL Server security and Policy Based Management – In practice

March 16, 2014 by
In the previous introduction article we have described concepts, terms, and common Policy Based Management tasks. The SQL Server Policy Based Management feature can be used in various scenarios and for different purposes. Using once declared policies and the Export/Import feature, maintaining SQL Server security in large enterprises with a number of SQL Server instances can be an automated process Read more »
Milena Petrovic

SQL Server query execution plans – Basics

March 15, 2014 by

Why is query execution important for SQL Server performance?

SQL Server performance monitoring depends on the performance goals. The first step in monitoring is to determine optimal performance for your server and create performance trends based on the captured metric information. If performance is not satisfactory, it’s necessary to diagnose performance problems and find their origin. This involves testing how different queries and applications affect performance Read more »
Ivan Stankovic

What is SQL Server database mirroring?

March 15, 2014 by
SQL Server database mirroring is a disaster recovery and high availability technique that involves two SQL Server instances on the same or different machines. One SQL Server instance acts as a primary instance called the principal, while the other is a mirrored instance called the mirror. In special cases, there can be a third SQL Server instance that acts as a witness Read more »
Milena Petrovic

SQL Server alerts in troubleshooting performance issues: SQL Server alerting basics

March 14, 2014 by

Why is SQL Server alerting important?

To be aware of what’s going on with your system and how SQL Server performs, monitoring is necessary. However, just monitoring might not be enough. Being notified about a performance issue whenever a specific SQL Server counter meets a threshold value, or a specific event occurs, boosts monitoring usability. These notifications enable DBAs to be aware of every important system performance change as soon as it happens, and therefore they can act immediately to fix the issue and prevent further problems Read more »
Ivan Stankovic

What is a SQL Server disaster recovery?

March 14, 2014 by
A SQL Server disaster is an event that causes data loss or any serious SQL Server disruption. Causes of a disaster can be numerous: power failure, hardware failure, virus attack, natural disaster, human error, etc. Some SQL Server disasters cannot be prevented. That’s why a good disaster recovery plan is important Read more »