Blog tag
Posts tagged DBA
30 posts tagged "DBA".
Goodbye DMA, Hello SSMS Migration Extension: Migrating to SQL Server 2022 and Azure
Microsoft is deprecating the standalone Data Migration Assistant (DMA) in favor of the integrated SSMS Migration extension. Here is how to handle the shift without losing your sanity.
Migrating SQL Server 2017 to 2025 Using a Distributed Availability Group — A Real-World Proof of Concept
Last week, we reached a significant milestone. In a development environment, we have 16 databases synchronizing cleanly across a DAG that bridges the old stack to the new. The two clusters live in separate domains, run in AWS, and use AWS Storage Gateway for backup-based initialization. There were real obstacles to get here. This post documents the approach and the hard-won lessons.
The Ghost of TDE Past: When a One-Year-Old Certificate Still Broke My Restore
I ran into one of the strangest SQL Server issues I've seen in a long time, and it ended up teaching me a lesson about TDE that I won't forget.
SQL Server 2025 Can Call an LLM Directly from T-SQL — Here's What That Actually Means
This is a new system stored procedure introduced in SQL Server 2025 (version 17.x). It was previously available in Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance, but it's now on-premises too. That distinction matters. A lot of SQL Server AI features require Azure. This one doesn't.
dbatools: The Ultimate PowerShell Multi-Tool for SQL Server
A professional analysis of why dbatools is non-negotiable for modern SQL Server administration, with a focus on high-fidelity migration workflows.
Where Did My SQL Agent Go? Scheduling Jobs in Azure SQL Database
Moving to Azure SQL Database often leads to a sudden realization: the SQL Server Agent is gone. This guide explores the battle-tested alternatives for automating your database tasks in the cloud.
SQL Server Resource Governor: Stop Production Fires Before They Start
Resource Governor belongs in every DBA's toolkit to prevent runaway queries from starving production workloads. Learn how to partition CPU and memory to ensure your critical apps stay responsive.
Scaling Beyond the LAN: A Practical Guide to Distributed Availability Groups
Distributed Availability Groups allow you to span SQL Server clusters across disparate networks without the headache of a quorum-based cluster stretch. This guide covers the architectural fundamentals and the T-SQL required to get them running in production.
SQL Server Change Data Capture: The Production DBA’s Survival Guide
A practical reference for managing SQL Server CDC, preventing transaction log explosions, and maintaining high-performance data pipelines in 2026.
Why Bring in a Fractional DBA Consultant?
A full-time DBA runs $123K–$300K all-in. A fractional DBA runs $35K–$100K. Here is why the math works, why it compounds, and when to make the call.
SQL Server Linked Servers: Performance Traps, Security Gaps, and the Queries That Will Cost You
Linked servers are one of SQL Server most misused features. Poorly configured remote joins, missing statistics, and credential delegation issues routinely show up as the root cause of slow batches and security gaps. Here is what 20 years of production DBA work teaches about making linked servers behave.
SQL Server to Oracle 23ai Migration: A Technical Case Study
A production DBA team migrated a 12TB SQL Server OLTP workload to Oracle 23ai in 11 weeks. This is what actually happened — migration drivers, Oracle 23ai features leveraged, the hard parts, and the measurable outcomes. No marketing copy.
SQL Server Extended Events: The Definitive Guide for DBAs
Extended Events replaced SQL Trace over a decade ago. Most DBAs still default to legacy tools when diagnosing production issues — missing the speed, flexibility, and diagnostic depth that XEvents actually provide. Here is the guide I wish had existed when I made the switch.
Oracle Data Guard Configuration: A Step-by-Step Guide for Production DBAs
Configuring Oracle Data Guard doesn’t have to be a week-long project. Here’s the practical sequence we’ve used on hundreds of production systems — primary setup, standby creation, observer configuration, and the switchover runbook.
SQL Server Always On Availability Groups: A Deep Dive into Architecture, Replica Roles, and Failover
AGs are more than a HA feature — they're a replication and routing platform. This post goes under the hood: replica roles, synchronous vs asynchronous modes, failover mechanics, readable secondary behavior, and the T-SQL that actually controls it all.
SQL Server 2025 Query Store: Hint-Based Forcing, CE Feedback Persistence, and Plan Regression Detection
SQL Server 2025 ships its most significant Query Store overhaul yet — hint-based plan forcing without query text changes, cardinality estimator feedback that survives restarts, and smarter regression detection that cuts through parameter-sniffing noise. Here's what actually changed and how to use it.
How to Set Up SQL Server Transactional Replication: A Practical Guide
SQL Server transactional replication moves data and schema changes from one database to another in near real-time. This guide covers concepts, components, and a working example you can build on.
How to Set Up SQL Server TDE: Setup, Backup, and Restore to Another Server
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) encrypts your SQL Server database at rest — no application code changes, no schema modifications. This guide covers setup from scratch and migrating keys to a new server.
SQL Server TempDB Contention: How to Diagnose It and Fix It for Good
TempDB contention shows up as PAGELATCH\_UP and PAGELATCH\_EX waits on allocation pages, and it degrades everything — sorts, spills, temp tables, table variables, even row versioning. Here's how to find it in 5 minutes with DMVs and fix it with the right number of data files.
SQL Server Always On Availability Groups vs Oracle Data Guard: Which Should You Trust With Your Data?
After 20+ years running both Oracle RAC and SQL Server AGs in production, here's what the vendor marketing won't tell you about failover speed, read-scale, licensing cost, and which one actually stays up when it matters.
SQL Server Always On Availability Group Failover Testing: A Production Runbook That Actually Works
Most AGs go untested until a real failover happens. By then it is too late to discover your application connection string has a hardcoded node name, your secondary is 45 minutes behind, or your monitoring does not alert on replica state. Here is the runbook I run on every new AG setup before it goes to production.
SQL Server 2025 OPTIMIZED\_LOCKING: What DBAs Need to Know
SQL Server 2025 introduces OPTIMIZED\_LOCKING, a database-scoped option that fundamentally changes how the lock manager works. Here is what it does, how to enable it, and what to watch out for.
SQL MCP Server: Microsoft's Open-Source Bridge Between AI Agents and SQL Databases
Microsoft's SQL MCP Server connects AI agents like Copilot and Claude to SQL Server databases through the Model Context Protocol. Here's what it actually does, how to set it up, and where an experienced DBA is still irreplaceable.
SQL Server Performance Tuning Checklist: 12 Checks That Actually Find Problems
Before you tune anything, know what is actually wrong. This checklist walks through the 12 diagnostics that catch 90% of SQL Server performance problems — no guessing, no voodoo, just DMVs and evidence.
SQL Server Performance Monitoring: DMVs and Extended Events Every Production DBA Needs
Stop guessing what is killing your SQL Server. Learn how to use built-in DMVs and Extended Events to diagnose CPU spikes, wait stats, and slow queries without spending a dime on third-party tools.
SQL Server AG Deep Dive: Standard Edition Gotchas, Distributed AGs, and Clusterless AGs
Basic Availability Groups on Standard Edition are not what most shops think they are — one database, no readable secondary, no backup offloading. Here is what you need to know about Standard Edition limits, distributed AG architecture, and clusterless AGs on Linux before you commit to a topology.
PostgreSQL Disaster Recovery: A DBA's Guide to Backup Strategies That Actually Work
Most PostgreSQL backup strategies are theater. They run, they complete, and when you actually need them they fail. After 20+ years managing production databases, here's what a real DR plan looks like.
MySQL Performance Tuning: 7 Query Optimizations That Cut Response Times in Half
Slow MySQL queries are usually fixable without new hardware. Here are 7 practical optimizations—from index strategy to query rewrites—that consistently deliver the biggest performance gains.
SQL Server to PostgreSQL Migration: A DBA's Practical Step-by-Step Guide
Migrating from SQL Server to PostgreSQL? Here's the practical, no-nonsense guide covering schema conversion, data migration tools, cutover planning, and the pitfalls most teams miss.
How AI is Changing Database Administration in 2026: What DBAs Must Learn Now
AI-assisted database management is no longer futuristic. It's here, and it's changing how DBAs work. Here's what's actually changing and what skills matter more than ever.