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CHECKDB is a critical for Database Integrity

When Was the Last Known Good DBCC CHECKDB Integrity Check?

Fortunately, DBCC CHECKDB will log each time it completes without finding any errors or corruption in the database. That’s known as the Last Known Good date. Let’s look at three ways you determine the Last Known Good date. We’ll use a T-SQL query, a PowerShell command with dbatools, and the SQL Server Logs via Management Studio.

Let's count the number of SQL Server tempdb files I have

3 Ways to Find Your SQL Server tempdb Data Files

Checking the number of tempdb data files is straightforward. Here are three easy ways: one graphical, one T-SQL, and one PowerShell, so you can use your tools of choice.

Avoid working without a net; implement a SQL Server HADR option

High Availability and Disaster Recovery in SQL Server

We’re often asked about SQL Server High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR) options to help customers protect their data and improve their uptime. No surprise there. When a SQL Server provides a critical component of your daily operations you need those databases to be available. Simply put, when a user needs information from the database…
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Vintage databases are not as good as vintage cars

Should I Upgrade SQL Servers that Are Out of Support?

Do All SQL Servers Need to Be Upgraded? Running production systems on a platform that is no longer supported by the vendor is worrisome. If something goes wrong, you’ll no longer be able to call the vendor and receive technical support. But worse, you’ll no longer release updates, fixes, security patches, etc, for the out…
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A properly configured SQL Server is like a well tuned race engine.

Identify Disk I/O Performance Issues for Your SQL Server Using DiskSpd

“We need faster storage.” Sound familiar? Or what about “No, the storage is good; we need to tune the database.” Often teams will have very different opinions about the root cause of a performance issue. Microsoft’s free DiskSpd utility can help identify disk I/O performance issues for your SQL server systems. Here’s a short introduction…
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Hands of a Hacker

Protect Your SQL Server from MrbMiner and Other Malware Attacks

Unfortunately malware attacks attempting to exploit vulnerable SQL Servers are often successful. Last spring, Guardicore announced that the Vollgar attack that was making its way around the internet. Just last month, it was MrbMiner in the news. And there have been countless other attacks targeting SQL Server over the year. So, how can your protect…
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Has PASS Outlived Its Purpose?

I’ve been pondering a question recently. “Has PASS outlived its purpose?” To help answer that question, I went to the PASS website to look for its mission statement. I couldn’t find it in the dropdown menus. I searched the site. No results found. That’s disappointing. And perhaps it explains why the organization is struggling as…
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Am I affected by MrbMiner malware?

SQL Server hardware can be powerful. Lots of CPU cores and memory. Just what a crypto miner may need in their quest to generate cryptocurrency. In the case of the MrbMiner exploit, numerous SQL Servers have been exploited with brute-force attacks. These attacks are scanning for servers exposed directly to the internet and are using…
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Azure shared disks – Failover Clustered Instance – SQL Server 2016

In my last post, I wrote about a new option in Azure – shared disks. Have you ever needed to build a Failover Cluster Instance (FCI) in Azure? This post will provide a few steps to get you started. To follow along with the demo, you’ll need an Azure account (available for free here )…
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Azure shared disks – Failover Clustered Instances

Azure offers a large array of options when it comes to high availability and disaster recovery. Failover clustered instances (FCIs) is a well known option, for SQL Server, that’s been available for years on premises. However, FCIs traditionally required shared storage. New versions of the Windows OS and SQL Server now support other options such…
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