POWERFUL ETL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE MICROSOFT DATA PLATFORM Microsoft first truly disrupted the ETL marketplace with the introduction of SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) back with the release of SQL Server 2005. Microsoft has upped the ante yet again by bringing to market powerful ETL features to the cloud via the Azure Data Factory, which enables IT shops to integrate a multitude of data sources, both on-premises and in the cloud, via a workflow (called a "pipeline) that utilizes Hive, Pig, and customized C# programs. READ MORE... Originally Posted March 03, 2016 … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2017
They Did it Again – The Release of SQL Server 2017
October 27, 2017 by Leave a Comment
THEY DID IT AGAIN – THE RELEASE OF SQL SERVER 2017 Not only has the Microsoft SQL Server engineering team added more and stronger leadership, outstanding individual engineers and staff members, but it is also radically moving its entire development process into a "cloud-first" ethos. Now, I'd like to show one of the most salient results of this new development process-accelerated product releases. It was only a few years ago (and is still the case for other data management platforms) that a major new release takes at least 2, but more likely 3 years. With the "production-ready" release of SQL … [Read more...]
Machine Learning and the Microsoft Data Platform
October 24, 2017 by Leave a Comment
MACHINE LEARNING AND THE MICROSOFT DATA PLATFORM If you're into data and databases and you have not heard the term "machine learning," may I suggest that you're not reading enough? This technology is hot and hyped, largely because it is the secret ingredient in many successful Big Data projects. Learn more. READ MORE... Originally Posted January 07, 2016 … [Read more...]
Surprising but True: the Basics are Still Difficult
October 20, 2017 by Leave a Comment
SURPRISING BUT TRUE: THE BASICS ARE STILL DIFFICULT I always look forward to new research from Unisphere Research, a division of Information Today, Inc., publishers of this magazine and other great products for data professionals. The latest report which you should read is "SQL Server Transformation: Toward Agility & Resiliency 2017; PASS Database Management Survey." READ MORE... Originally Posted April 07, 2017 … [Read more...]
DBTA – HIPAA: DBAs, Data, and the Law
October 18, 2017 by Leave a Comment
With all of the hype around data being "the oil of the 21st century" and the rise of "the algorithm economy," it seems reasonable to make it a priority to learn more about how laws affect our lives as DBAs. The first law that I have targeted is probably the best-known data law in the U.S.—HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Click HERE to read more … [Read more...]
Dynamic Data Masking and Row-Level Security Features on the Way in SQL Server 2016
October 17, 2017 by Leave a Comment
DYNAMIC DATA MASKING AND ROW-LEVEL SECURITY FEATURES ON THE WAY IN SQL SERVER 2016 In addition to StretchDB and AlwaysEncrypted, there are two more exciting features in the works for SQL Server 2016: dynamic data masking and row-level security. In the case of these two features, they'll be released first to the cloud platform (Azure SQL Database) and, later, to the on-premises version of SQL Server. READ MORE... Originally Posted December 02, 2015 … [Read more...]
Tomorrow: Learn about SQL Server on Vmware
October 11, 2017 by Leave a Comment
SQL Server Running on Vmware. A Common Scenario. I have the honor of presenting a webinar, tomorrow, on Thursday, October 12th, 2017 2:00 pm - 3 pm EDT, with Mr. Charles Kim. We'll be talking about SQL Server running on Vmware, with me taking the SQL Server part and Charles taking the Vmware part. Charles is the Founder of Viscosity North America and his accolades are many and manifold: Oracle ACE Director, Oracle Certified DBA, a Certified RAC Expert, Certified Exadata Implementation Specialist, VMware vExpert, and a VMware Certified Professional. Charles specializes in RAC, Exadata, … [Read more...]
Revisiting PASS Summit 2015
October 10, 2017 by Leave a Comment
PASS SUMMIT 2015: THE AGE OF THE DATA PROFESSIONAL IS NOW The PASS Summit 2015, the largest conference in the Microsoft SQL Server world, was held in October in Seattl, WA. The event provided a look at key initiatives that Microsoft's SQL Server group has been working on and a glimpse of what's ahead for the future. READ MORE... Originally Posted November 09, 2015 … [Read more...]
Introducing the SQL Server Database Experimentation Assistant
October 6, 2017 by Leave a Comment
INTRODUCING THE SQL SERVER DATABASE EXPERIMENTATION ASSISTANT There's a very handy new tool from Microsoft called the Database Experimentation Assistant (DEA). The DEA makes it very easy to conduct A/B testing for SQL Server upgrades, providing quantitative insight into the performance differences across two versions of a database workload on SQL Server. Learn more! READ MORE... Posted February 08, 2017 … [Read more...]
Stronger Security Via Always Encrypted in SQL Server 2016
October 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment
STRONGER SECURITY VIA ALWAYS ENCRYPTED IN SQL SERVER 2016 Prior to SQL Server 2016, currently in CTP, your main method for encrypting a SQL Server application was to use a feature called Transparent Data Encryption. TDE provides strong encryption, but with some shortcomings. First, you have to encrypt an entire database. No granularity is offered at a lower level, such as encrypting specific tables or certain data within a table. Second, TDE encrypts only data at rest, in files. Data in memory or in-flight between the application and server are unencrypted. Enter Always Encrypted. READ … [Read more...]
