News, Analysis and Opinion for SQL Server

February 12, 2019 12 Feb'19

Talend Stitch tools load data to Azure SQL Data Warehouse

Cloud data warehouses see serious data transformation work moving to the cloud. Talend's first integration with Stitch, which it recently bought, reflects the trend.

November 30, 2018 30 Nov'18

Faster R&D pace complicates SQL Server upgrades for users

Microsoft is updating SQL Server and Azure SQL Database more quickly than it did in the past -- and keeping up with the new releases can be a tough task for DBAs.

November 29, 2018 29 Nov'18

Microsoft data platform gets new cloud, on-prem features

Microsoft released a second preview of SQL Server 2019 and said users can now run applications in either on-premises SQL Server systems or its Azure SQL Database cloud service.

November 12, 2018 12 Nov'18

Enterprise Power BI platform advances with SSRS, 'dataflows'

Microsoft embeds its SSRS reporting software and more-advanced data preparation tools in Power BI, part of a plan to blend self-service and enterprise BI for users.

November 08, 2018 08 Nov'18

Microsoft Azure SQL Database nears parity with SQL Server

Microsoft is adding functionality to Azure SQL Database to enable users to migrate more SQL Server applications to the cloud platform and run bigger databases on it.

October 31, 2018 31 Oct'18

PASS Summit 2018 spotlights new demands on SQL Server DBAs

This year's PASS Summit comes as SQL Server 2019 looms and the cloud becomes a bigger factor. PASS board member Tim Ford talks about key trends ahead of it.

September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18

SQL Server 2019 preview brings Hadoop, Spark and AI into DBMS

A SQL Server 2019 preview brings Hadoop and Spark into the fold, positioning the database as an all-purpose data portal. Azure Cosmos DB also gets an update.

August 29, 2018 29 Aug'18

Talend tool targets Azure data integration for analytics use

Talend released software that does bulk data uploads to Microsoft's Azure SQL Data Warehouse. The goal is to streamline data integration and support real-time analytics.

June 11, 2018 11 Jun'18

Proposed Microsoft-GitHub buy confirms open source role in cloud

The looming Microsoft-GitHub pairing confirms the company's rebirth as an open source friend. Data tools on the Azure cloud are part of the motivation.

May 16, 2018 16 May'18

Azure Cosmos DB features, pricing morph with new provisioning model

The ability to provision Azure Cosmos DB throughput at the database level could come with pricing sticker shock for some users of Microsoft's multimodel database.

March 21, 2018 21 Mar'18

ObjectRocket launches Azure MongoDB service

Count ObjectRocket among those pursuing Azure MongoDB deployments. This open source NoSQL database continues to find traction on the web and in the cloud.

January 17, 2018 17 Jan'18

Meltdown and Spectre fixes eyed for SQL Server performance issues

Microsoft has responded to the Spectre and Meltdown chip vulnerabilities with patches and other fixes. But IT teams need to sort out SQL Server performance issues they may create.

November 21, 2017 21 Nov'17

Microsoft Azure cloud database activity takes off at Connect();

Microsoft Connect(); 2017 saw the addition of MariaDB and Cassandra to the Azure cloud database lineup. Also discussed: A set of Spark-based analytics services called Azure Databricks.

November 09, 2017 09 Nov'17

Microsoft boosts SQL Server machine learning services

Python and R are among the tools in the SQL Server machine learning toolkit. Native T-SQL scoring is also on the agenda, as uncovered at PASS Summit 2017.

November 06, 2017 06 Nov'17

Power BI updates drive Microsoft's latest hybrid cloud efforts

At PASS Summit 2017, Microsoft Azure's strides were measured in steps. These include Power BI updates that bring cloud reporting services down to earth.

September 26, 2017 26 Sep'17

Microsoft SQL Server 2017 for Linux hits GA, IT pros encouraged

Microsoft SQL Server 2017 becomes available in October. In addition to a version that runs on Linux, new features include support for Python-based analytics.

July 27, 2017 27 Jul'17

SQL Server for Linux gets closer -- Windows database adds HA traits

SQL Server for Linux has gained added features on its way to general availability as part of the almost-ready SQL Server 2017. Meanwhile, its Windows-based brother is upping its high availability quotient.

July 12, 2017 12 Jul'17

Azure SQL Data Warehouse turns up the heat, expands processing power

Spirited competition is under way among cloud providers as they enhance large-scale relational data warehouses in the cloud. An Azure SQL Data Warehouse update by Microsoft is the latest example.

May 18, 2017 18 May'17

Azure Cosmos multimodel database delivers features familiar and new

There are bits of DocumentDB at the foundation of Microsoft's Azure Cosmos DB, a multimodel database that supports multiple modes of data processing.

April 21, 2017 21 Apr'17

SQL Server 2017 makes Python a first-class citizen for analytics

Python is no longer a database outsider at Microsoft. The programming language is riding alongside R for analytics uses as SQL Server 2017 moves to its second preview release.

March 22, 2017 22 Mar'17

Redgate tools help bring database DevOps to Visual Studio 2017

So far, data has been left out of the DevOps discussion. But DevOps for databases could grow if tools like Redgate's bundle embedded in Visual Studio 2017 carry through on their promises.

November 18, 2016 18 Nov'16

Microsoft previews SQL Server on Linux, opens features across editions

Microsoft looks to broaden the horizons of SQL Server, as it moves some Enterprise features to Standard Edition and issues the first public preview of a release supporting SQL Server on Linux.

November 14, 2016 14 Nov'16

Cask framework aims to speed Azure HDInsight data pipeline builds

A link between Cask Data's CDAP application and integration environment and Azure HDInsight, Microsoft's Hadoop cloud service, is meant to cut development time on big data applications.

September 30, 2016 30 Sep'16

Azure Data Lake Analytics gets boost from U-SQL, a new SQL variant

The big data movement has frozen out many data professionals who are versed in SQL. Microsoft's U-SQL programming language tries to get such folks back in the data querying game.

July 21, 2016 21 Jul'16

Azure SQL Data Warehouse brings MPP to Microsoft cloud

As Azure SQL Data Warehouse reaches general availability, it brings massively parallel processing to a wider audience, and augers more competition in the cloud data space.

May 25, 2016 25 May'16

The story behind free SQL Server licensing for Oracle users

Microsoft wants to make Oracle customers an offer they can't refuse: free SQL Server licensing if they switch over. The question is whether or not the deal is as good as it looks.

May 13, 2016 13 May'16

SQL Server 2016 features to make DBAs' lives easier

SQL Server 2016 is on the launch pad for a June 1 release with a number of notable built-in features along with improvements to some long-neglected capabilities.

April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16

Database trends to watch after SQL Server 2005 end of life

Two database industry experts discuss infrastructure and analytics trends to consider for database upgrades following the end of SQL Server 2005 extended support.

April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16

Why SQL Server 2005 end of life is good news for DBAs

Two database experts explain how to take advantage of the opportunity created by SQL Server 2005 end of life and how to build a better database.

March 16, 2016 16 Mar'16

Microsoft opens up to open source with SQL Server on Linux

Microsoft put aside its rocky relationship with open source and will release SQL Server on Linux in mid-2017. This won't be a simple process, but it could net Microsoft new customers.

March 04, 2016 04 Mar'16

Best practices for upgrading after SQL Server 2005 end of life

SQL Server 2005 end of life is coming next month. Experts explain which version of SQL Server to upgrade to, and where in the migration process organizations need to be.

February 02, 2016 02 Feb'16

An easier way to set up SQL Server on an Azure virtual machine

Microsoft offers a simpler way to configure SQL Server on an Azure virtual machine. Added automation should help speed up the connecting and provisioning process.

October 21, 2015 21 Oct'15

The Azure SQL Data Warehouse gains an auditing feature

Microsoft announced that it had enabled an auditing feature for the Azure SQL Data Warehouse. The new feature has many benefits, but storing audit logs won't be free.

July 09, 2015 09 Jul'15

Limited public preview opens for Azure SQL Data Warehouse

Microsoft opened the preview of Azure SQL Data Warehouse, a petabyte-scale, distributed columnar data warehouse service with massively parallel processing.

May 12, 2015 12 May'15

SQL Server 2016 preview announced for summer 2015

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the SQL Server 2016 preview for this summer. Its new features model the ethos of "mobile first, cloud first."

May 07, 2015 07 May'15

Will the R language benefit from Microsoft acquisition?

Microsoft's recent acquisition of Revolution Analytics could go a long way in solidifying the R language's hold on analytical solutions.

March 24, 2015 24 Mar'15

Vendors introduce three new SQL Server appliances

If SQL Server appliances are on your radar, you have options, but the price tag is high. Do your homework before buying. Here are the current offerings.

November 25, 2014 25 Nov'14

SQL Server monitoring tools help DBAs take back nights and weekends

Many DBAs have to work more and more nights and weekends to fulfill zero-downtime demands. But tools for monitoring and managing SQL Server might free up some of that time.

March 24, 2014 24 Mar'14

Finding the right problem for SQL Server 2014's in-memory OLTP

Consultant Denny Cherry talks changes, misconceptions and what people really want from SQL Server 2014, which is generally available on April 1.

February 19, 2014 19 Feb'14

Interactive reports highlight Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Author and Reporting Services expert Brian Larson discusses features of SQL Server Reporting Services in this interview.

January 31, 2014 31 Jan'14

Five SQL Server 2012 business intelligence features

The BI Semantic Model and Data Quality Services: These are two of the five SQL Server 2012 BI features that highlight this database release.

June 21, 2013 21 Jun'13

SQL Server 2014 all about big data, in-memory analytics and cloud

In this issue of SQL in Five, Mark Kromer lists usual features of the upcoming SQL Server 2014, but also highlights a different one: Data Explorer.

March 25, 2013 25 Mar'13

SQL Server big data technologies should be a major DBA focus

Microsoft platform architect Mark Kromer says in this Q&A that DBAs need to start focusing on SQL Server big data technologies to stay up-to-date.

March 12, 2012 12 Mar'12

Don’t sweat migration from Oracle, Sybase to SQL Azure

Are you considering moving your database to Azure? Concerned about complexity? Read this tip from expert Denny Cherry. Migrating to SQL Azure might be the easiest move ever.

December 05, 2011 05 Dec'11

Securing SQL Server: Quick, easy, routinely ignored

A recent wave of high-profile attacks has highlighted the importance of securing SQL Server. But protecting the database application is something most companies have historically overlooked.

October 13, 2011 13 Oct'11

Microsoft folds Hadoop into SQL Server 2012, Windows Azure

Microsoft said it will release SQL Server 2012, formerly Denali, next year and detailed its Hadoop-based strategy for handling the explosion of big data at the PASS 2011 conference.

February 24, 2011 24 Feb'11

SQL Server virtualization more than a passing trend?

Virtualization may be taking data centers by storm, but what’s behind the trend? In this month’s “SQL in Five,” SearchSQLServer.com asks Microsoft’s Mark Kromer about the benefits and difficulties of virtualizing SQL Server.

January 25, 2011 25 Jan'11

Q&A: Exploring what’s hot: SQL Server virtualization, PowerPivot, PDW

Want the inside scoop on SQL Server virtualization, PowerPivot, parallel data warehouse and the upcoming Denali? Microsoft database expert Mark Kromer discuss these year-driving trends and more.

January 13, 2011 13 Jan'11

In 2011, SQL Server market trending toward cloud, virtualization

Higher SQL Server cloud adoption with more competition and SQL Server virtualization will get top billing in the SQL Server market in 2011, experts predict. Plus, self-service BI is on the up and up, along with solid-state devices.

December 21, 2010 21 Dec'10

Q&A: Microsoft surveys horizon as cloud computing providers mount

Salesforce.com’s upcoming cloud offering Database.com will widen the pantheon of cloud computing providers, but Microsoft's Mark Kromer says SQL Azure can handle the competition. Read on for Kromer’s thoughts on the expanding market, what makes ...

November 16, 2010 16 Nov'10

Q&A: Staying aloft in SQL Azure development

It’s been an eventful year for SQL Azure. In the wake of big announcements at the recent Professional Developers Conference (PDC) and the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) Summit, Microsoft data platform specialist Mark Kromer discusses...

November 11, 2010 11 Nov'10