Live360 2018 Conference
Heraflux is proud to contribute to this year’s Live360 conference, to be held in Orlando Florida at the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal from December 2nd to 7th.
David Klee is presenting two sessions at this conference. The first is Thursday in room SQH01 called “Cosmos DB for SQL Server Pros” at 8:00am.
Microsoft’s Cosmos DB is the first globally distributed database service, allowing low-latency scalability across multiple geographical regions. As a SQL Server pro, why does this matter? SQL Server is a great multi-function database that can handle many of your tasks with ease. However, it’s not the only tool in the toolbox, and Cosmos DB is a tremendous alternative for some use cases. This introductory session explores Cosmos DB and walks you through the similarities and differences in the two platforms. We explore how to provision and design your database, insert sample data and query for specific records. We’ll review the scalability and throughput settings, and help you ramp up your DBA and development skills on this compelling new platform.
You will learn:
- The core concepts of Cosmos DB and the reasons to consider it for data requirements
- Key concepts around data design, placement and document construction
- How to query for data and process client-side
Just after this session completes on Thursday, the next session is called “Level Up Your SQL Server Cloud Skills” in room SQLH05 at 9:30am.
Think infrastructure in the cloud is still just for sysadmins? Think again! As your organization moves into the cloud, infrastructure architecture skills are more important than ever for DBAs to master. Expert knowledge of cloud-related infrastructure will help you maintain performance and availability for databases in the cloud. For example, know what an IOP is? Should you use a Database as a Service or provision a cloud-based virtual machine? How many compute resources does your database consume during a given day? Can you secure it properly? Come learn many of the key cloud infrastructure points that you should master as the DBA role continues to evolve!
You will learn:
- To identify key concepts around database platform selection, such as Azure SQL DB versus Infrastructure as a Service, and make educated recommendations for the appropriate platform
- To identify key performance metrics, such as storage performance, vCPU/DTU requirements and so on, that help with properly sizing the destination resources
- About Identifying and recognizing the key reasons to migrate databases to the cloud versus keeping them on-premises
Register for this exciting conference today! We look forward to seeing you there!
Bob Pusateri Presenting at PASS Summit 2018
I’ve been honored to present a session at PASS Summit for the past few years, but this year I am especially humbled as I had not one but two abstracts accepted! The first is an introduction to Azure Cosmos DB. The other is covering some of my favorite SSMS and T-SQL tips and tricks that can help you save time!
Select Stars: A SQL DBA’s Introduction to Azure Cosmos DB
Level: 200
Where: Skagit 4 (TCC Lower Level)
When: Thursday November 8, 2018 1:30-2:45pm
Azure Cosmos DB has quickly become a buzzword in database circles over the past year, but what exactly is it, and why does it matter? This session will cover the basics of Azure Cosmos DB, how it works, and what it can do for your organization. You will learn how it differs from SQL Server and Azure SQL Database, what its strengths are, and how to leverage them. We will also discuss Azure Cosmos DB’s partitioning, distribution, and consistency methods to gain an understanding of how they contribute to its unprecedented scalability. Finally, we will demonstrate how to provision, connect to, and query Azure Cosmos DB. If you’re wondering what Azure Cosmos DB is and why you should care, attend this session and learn why Azure Cosmos DB is an out-of-this-world tool you’ll want in your data toolbox!
SSMS & T-SQL Tricks: Working Smarter, Not Harder
Level: 100
Where: Room 6A
When: Wednesday November 7, 2018 4:45-6:00pm
Do you spend a considerable amount of time in SQL Server Management Studio? Are you always in search of ways to write better code with less effort? Attend this session to see demonstrations of all the helpful gems SSMS has hiding in plain sight that will save you keystrokes, mouse clicks, and time while getting your work done. We will also cover useful T-SQL Scripts to make common tasks easier and faster, and solutions to frequently-encountered coding problems. Whether you’re a developer or a DBA, whether you do your work on-premises or in the cloud, attend this session to learn how easy it is to write better T-SQL code and save the day, all while working smarter, not harder!
I hope to see you there!
PASS Summit starts in a little over a month, and if you’re thinking this sounds pretty awesome, registration is still open! The program committee has put together an incredible schedule combining top presenters from all aspects of the Microsoft Data Platform. On top of that, opportunities for networking abound. While the sessions are awesome, the community is PASS Summit’s greatest asset. You really don’t want to miss this.
Even if you can’t attend, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@SQLBob). I’ll be sharing plenty of updates and photos from throughout the conference. Even if you can’t experience PASS Summit in person, by following myself, other community members, and the #PASSsummit2018 hashtag, you can get a great virtual experience.
This post was originally posted on Bob’s personal blog over at bobpusateri.com.
Where in the World is Bob?
Our Bob Pusateri has been quite busy lately with SQL Server technical talks, and we wanted to highlight some of the in-person events that he’s spoken at.
We love presenting for local technical user groups. Back in August, Bob spoke at the Chicago SQL Server Users Group on August 9th. This session was his first session highlighting Microsoft’s global scale database – Cosmos DB – called “Select Stars: A SQL Server DBA’s Introduction to Azure Cosmos DB.” Bob also presented this session for the Chicago Suburban SQL Server Users Group on September 18th.
We are also proud to speak at a number of SQL Saturdays. Bob spoke at the SQL Saturday in Oslo Norway on September 1st! Bob presented this Cosmos DB session at this event. His slides are available for you to download.
Bob also presented at the SQL Saturday in Boston MA on September 22nd. This session was called “Supercharging Backups and Restores for Fun and Profit“, and his slides are available for you to download.
Bob will be presenting at the Red-Gate SQL in the City Summit in Chicago on October 26th. This session is called “Maximize Availability and More with SQL Server Estate Monitoring“.
Bob is also presenting at this year’s PASS Summit in Seattle during the week of November 6th. He is presenting two sessions – the Cosmos DB introductory session, and “SSMS & T-SQL Tricks: Working Smarter, Not Harder“. This conference is world-class and we want to see you there with us!
If you want Bob or David to speak for your user group or SQL Saturday, contact us!
Did VMware Just Reinvent Itself?
I was fortunate enough to speak at and attend this year’s VMworld USA conference in Las Vegas last week. I caught a small announcement there that I found absolutely intriguing, and feel it could be a revolution in the world of VMware and on-premises virtualization.
Last week, they quietly announced that Amazon Relational Database Services (RDS) will soon be able to be used on your on-premises VMware environment. Very few other details were released, but the RDS web page has a signup form for preview program.
The power of the cloud is largely in the automation that it provides. Our experience has shown that most organizations have fantastic on-prem virtualization but lack the automation to provide a solid end-user self-provisioning platform. The automation in the cloud is one of the primary drivers for cloud adoption.
Did VMware Corp. just expand to become the on-premises extension of Amazon to allow corporations to gain the power of Amazon cloud automation but on their existing on-prem IT investment?
Is this the first service of many to be offered?
Microsoft Azure Stack was an absolute game changer when it launched. I love every bit of it, and we use it in a number of shops to contribute to DevOps initiatives to help IT move as fast as the business. The only downside to Azure Stack is that it must be deployed for production purposes on certified hardware, and that list is small and rather pricey. Consistent hardware is a bonus when keeping the experience constant and predictable, but most organizations are not able to leverage their current IT platform investments to deploy Azure Stack because it is not completely certified for Azure Stack. The expense of a new investment in equipment is most likely hurting adoption.
I’ve been thinking about this for years now. I actually thought that this would happen in a daydream over two years ago. What if the Amazon automation deployment doesn’t require special hardware to run when on-prem? What if it will run on a certified and supported VMware deployment, of which there are millions of such deployments worldwide? How does this change the private cloud game?
Only time will tell. We’re eagerly watching this one. I can’t wait to see if anything new will be announced at Microsoft Ignite in a few weeks!
Heraflux and CRN at VMworld 2018
Heraflux is proud to have contributed to a few news releases from CRN at this year’s VMworld conference in Las Vegas. David Klee was there presenting on SQL Server on VMware related topics, was interviewed by CRN for his thoughts on the current state of VMware, and contributed to the conversation around networking.
Networking has been historically fragmented,” he said. “So, if you can turn it around…lock it down better, make it more streamlined and more automated, especially around NSX, then we can be closer to a more secure environment.
Read more on this release here.
Next, the interview talked more about networking here.
Finally, David spoke about the announcements that came from this year’s conference.
This was an exciting conference, and we are thrilled to work with CRN on these announcements!
VMworld 2018 USA Direct Playback Links
VMware has prepared and released the video recordings from this year’s VMworld 2018 USA conference that was held in Las Vegas last week in an incredibly short time. William Lam (@lamw) has prepared the links into one consumable format at GitHub so you can watch them as you find the time. Check them out!
SQL Server Content at VMworld 2018
The SQL Server content at this year’s VMworld 2018 USA is phenomenal, and we want to share our recommended sessions for you to attend.
First, Oleg Ulyanov from VMware Corp. and I are presenting a full-day boot camp on running and managing high performance SQL Servers on the VMware platform (VAP3768WU) this Sunday. We will cover a plethora of topics, such as disk presentation, vCPU scheduling, vNUMA, and high availability.
Oleg is also presenting with Divya Sethi session called Highly Available Microsoft SQL Server on VMware vSphere (VAP3687BU) and MS SQL Server on the virtual platform (MTE5027U). Both should be outstanding!
Oleg is a machine with another session called Monitoring Business-Critical Applications: Doing It Right (VAP1448BU) where he’ll discuss monitoring and important KPIs for these systems.
David Morse and Todd Muirhead are presenting a session called Performance of SQL Server, Oracle, and SAP Workloads in VMware Cloud on AWS (VAP1492BU). This session should cover many of the performance topics for these systems that are near and dear to our hearts.
Next, Thomas LaRock from SolarWinds (@sqlrockstar) and I will be presenting a session called “Performance Deep Dive for Demanding Virtual Database Servers” (VAP1425BU). We’ll be discussing advanced performance-related topics such as CPU scheduling and vNUMA, “right-sizing” for both performance and licensing, virtual disks and performance discrepancies, and general operational efficiency.
Next, Michael Corey from LicenseFortress (@michael_corey) and I will be presenting a session called “Database Virtualization (Monster VMs) with VMware vSphere: Doing IT Right” (VAP1296BU), which is an updated version of the continued track of performance-related tips and tricks. Come see us laugh our way through over a hundred slides packed full of things you can take back to your environments!
Finally, I have a vBrownBag session called “Database vDisks and You” (VMTN5520U), where I’ll talk about all of the various layers of queueing between the SQL Server database and the enterprise SAN, and how to measure and monitor these layers, plus discuss ways to performance tune each layer.
Come learn more about how to manage and tune your SQL Servers at this incredible conference! We’ll see you there!
Rubrik Buzzword Bingo Podcast
We recently recorded a podcast for Rubrik’s Buzzword Bingo podcast series where we discussed how the public cloud is changing the database protection architectures worldwide. Check it out!
CosmosDB Presentation Aug 2018 - Chicago SQL Server Users Group
Bob Pusateri is presenting this Thursday, August 9th, for the Chicago SQL Server Users Group in a new presentation called “Select Stars: A SQL Server DBA’s Introduction to Azure Cosmos DB“. This meeting starts at 5:30pm at the Microsoft Technology Center in the Aon Center in downtown Chicago at 200 East Randolph Drive, Chicago IL.
Azure Cosmos DB has quickly become a buzzword in database circles over the past year, but what exactly is it, and why does it matter? This session will cover the basics of Azure Cosmos DB, how it works, and what it can do for your organization. You will learn how it differs from SQL Server and Azure SQL Database, what its strengths are, and how to leverage them. We will also discuss Azure Cosmos DB’s partitioning, distribution, and consistency methods to gain an understanding of how they contribute to its unprecedented scalability. Finally we will demonstrate how to provision, connect to, and query Azure Cosmos DB. If you’re wondering what Azure Cosmos DB is and why you should care, attend this session and learn why Azure Cosmos DB is an out-of-this-world tool you’ll want in your data toolbox!
You must RSVP by 5PM Tuesday (today!) to attend the meeting due to building security. RSVP here to go see this fantastic presentation!
Podcast - Database Protection in the Cloud Era
We’re proud to announce that we were part of a podcast recording with Rubrik recently where we discuss database protection in the public cloud era.
Today, companies are on a journey to modernize their infrastructures and meet the changing demands of businesses. The cloud is becoming a strategic part of this initiative due to its potential to unlock cost savings and increase agility. However, the cloud also brings a new set of migration and data protection challenges.
In this episode, Michael Fal (Rubrik), David Klee (Heraflux Technologies), and John Morehouse (Denny Cherry & Associates) explore the database landscape in the cloud era and share protection best practices.
The podcast is hosted over at SoundCloud. Check it out!
