SQL Server 2008 Policy-Based Management

This paper explores Policy-Based Management, a new management feature introduced in SQL Server 2008. Policy-Based Management allows DBAs to define a set of policies that can control many different aspects of SQL Server. Policies can be applied to a single server or to groups of servers. For example, a DBA could define a policy that specifies how a particular configuration option should be set on all the servers in the enterprise. What used to be time-consuming tasks and referencing paper manuals can now be virtually automated.

Read the white paper: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd938891.aspx

SQL Server 2008 Management Data Warehouse

SQL Server 2008 introduces the Management Data Warehouse (MDW) to SQL Server Management Studio for streamlined performance troubleshooting. MDW is a set of components that enable a database developer or administrator to quickly track down problems that could be causing performance degradation.

Read the white paper: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd939169.aspx

Understanding and Using PowerShell Support in SQL Server 2008

In this paper we’ll walk through an introduction to Windows PowerShell and its key elements.  We’ll then look at the special PowerShell executable program provided with SQL Server 2008, sqlps.exe.  Sqlps.exe incorporated a set of cmdlets specific to using PowerShell with SQL Server, and adds a PowerShell drive (PSDrive) allowing us to navigate SQL Server as though it were a filesystem.  We’ll explore these features, then look at some scripts we can use to administer SQL Server as well as to extract data as needed.

Read the white paper: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd938892.aspx

Using SQL Server 2008 Extended Events

Extended Events is an extended event handling system for SQL Server. It has a highly scalable and highly configurable architecture that allows administrators to collect as much or as little information as is necessary to troubleshoot or identify a problem. It is important to note that it is not currently a replacement for the existing diagnostic features of SQL Server, though it has many parallel functionalities to SQL Trace.

One of the key features of Extended Events is its ability to collect data that can be output to an Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) target, which allows the data to be correlated with data collected from the operating system through ETW. Previously in SQL Server 2005, it was possible to collect SQL Trace data with ETW; however, this was limited to SQL Trace events only. In SQL Server 2008, Extended Events data for wait events can be correlated with system kernel ETW (file) data in a single view to isolate the specific cause of the waits, as being a true I/O bottleneck, or perhaps a major file copy operation in the operating system that is causing the delays in SQL Server.

Read the white paper: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd822788.aspx

Geo-Replication Performance Gains with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Running on Windows Server 2008

Microsoft.com Engineering Operations (MSCOM Ops), the team responsible for architecting and managing many of the most heavily trafficked Microsoft Web sites, recently documented substantial replication performance improvements for both push and pull subscriptions in Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 running on Windows Server® 2008—up to 100 times faster than Microsoft SQL Server 2005 running on Windows Server 2003. This paper provides IT pros with an in-depth look at the tests conducted by the MSCOM Ops team, insight into the results, and technical analysis of the enhancements to Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 that enable wide area network (WAN)–based geo-replication.

Read Whitepaper: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd263442.aspx

SQL Server 2008 Product Overview

Microsoft SQL Server provides a policy-based system for managing one or more instances of SQL Server along with tools for performance monitoring, troubleshooting, and tuning that enable administrators to more efficiently manage their databases and SQL Server instances.

Download Whitepaper: http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/9/d/69d1fea7-5b42-437a-b3ba-a4ad13e34ef6/SQL2008_ProductOverview.docx

Auditing in SQL Server 2008

With SQL Server Audit, SQL Server 2008 introduces an important new feature that provides a true auditing solution for enterprise customers. While SQL Trace can be used to satisfy many auditing needs, SQL Server Audit offers a number of attractive advantages that may help DBAs more easily achieve their goals such as meeting regulatory compliance requirements. These include the ability to provide centralized storage of audit logs and integration with System Center, as well as noticeably better performance. Perhaps most significantly, SQL Server Audit permits fine-grained auditing whereby an audit can be targeted to specific actions by a principal against a particular object. This paper provides a comprehensive description of the new feature along with usage guidance and then provides some practical examples.

Read the Whitepaper: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd392015.aspx

Improving Sustainability and Use of SQL Server at Microsoft

This white paper examines the deployment of the SQL Utility within Microsoft IT, including the decisions that Microsoft IT made, implementation details, and aspects of system quality. It assumes that readers are technical decision makers and are somewhat familiar with Windows Server and SQL Server technologies. Many of the principles and techniques described in this paper can apply to other organizations. However, this paper is based on the experience and recommendations of Microsoft IT as an early adopter. It is not intended to serve as a procedural guide. Each enterprise environment has unique circumstances; therefore, each organization should adapt the plans and lessons learned described in this paper to meet its specific needs.

Download the Whitepaper: http://download.microsoft.com/download/C/F/B/CFB498D0-37B0-4805-9B41-EE2FCA3F1196/SQL%20Sustainability%20Technical%20White%20Paper.doc

Introducing Microsoft’s Platform for Complex Event Processing

Although most relational database applications are query-driven, event-driven applications have become increasingly important. Event-driven applications are characterized by high data rates, and millisecond latency requirements that make traditional store and query techniques impractical for timely and relevant processing of data. In contrast to the typical database scenario of hundreds of queries running for short durations against relatively static data, event-driven systems are characterized by a limited number of continuous queries running constantly against extremely dynamic data.

These requirements are shared by vertical markets such as manufacturing, oil and gas, utilities, financial services, health care, web analytics, and IT and data center monitoring. Event-driven applications use complex event processing (CEP) technology to identify meaningful patterns, relationships, and data abstractions from among seemingly unrelated events and to trigger immediate response actions.

This paper is an overview of the Microsoft platform for complex event processing. The Microsoft CEP platform allows software developers to create complex and innovative CEP solutions along two scenarios: (1) building packaged event-driven applications for low latency processing and (2) developing custom event-driven applications for business and the web with high throughput, low latency needs. The paper describes the architecture of the CEP platform and explains how to write continuous queries in a declarative manner to analyze and process events flowing through the system.

Download the Whitepaper: http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/D/5/FD5E855C-D895-45A8-9F3E-110AFADBE51A/Microsoft%20CEP%20Overview.docx

FILESTREAM Storage in SQL Server 2008

This white paper describes the FILESTREAM feature of SQL Server 2008, which allows storage of and efficient access to BLOB data using a combination of SQL Server 2008 and the NTFS file system. It covers choices for BLOB storage, configuring Windows and SQL Server for using FILESTREAM data, considerations for combining FILESTREAM with other features, and implementation details such as partitioning and performance.

This white paper is targeted at architects, IT Pros, and DBAs tasked with evaluating or implementing FILESTREAM. It assumes the reader is familiar with Windows and SQL Server and has at least a rudimentary knowledge of database concepts such as transactions.

Read the White Paper: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc949109.aspx