As we reflect on the year that was 2016, there have been numerous changes to the Microsoft Data Platform – the release of SQL Server 2016, the announcement of SQL Server on Linux and the introduction of the Azure SQL Data Warehouse to name a few. With the cloud cadence, it’s becoming harder and harder to pick technology trends. Technology roadmaps are often out of date before they are written. In order to assist with the technology transformation there is a growing need to work with modern technology partners like WARDY IT Solutions who can assist you in navigating the ongoing disruption and deliver true business innovation.
For those of you that are planning to take the Christmas period off, our Virtual DBA Service operates 24x7x365 so if you have any issues with your SQL Servers during the Christmas break, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
December Round Up
Training: Analysing Data with Power BI
Analysing Data with Power BI is a 2-day instructor-led course designed by Microsoft. By the end of the course you will be able to:
- Describe key features of a self-service BI solution
- Describe Power BI and its data sources
- Model, shape, and combine data
- Describe Power BI data visualizations
- Utilise Report Builder
Those of you that have Enterprise Agreements with Microsoft will be pleased to hear that you’re able to use your Software Assurance Training Vouchers (SATVs) to attend, you’ll just need to check with your Benefits Administrator. Find out more.
Blog: SQL Server as a Machine Learning Model Management System
If you are a data scientist, business analyst or a machine learning engineer, you need model management – a system that manages and orchestrates the entire lifecycle of your learning model. Analytical models must be trained, compared and monitored before deploying into production, requiring many steps to take place in order to operationalize a model’s lifecycle. SQL Server is the perfect tool to do this. Find out more about SQL Server can be used for model management.
SQL Server Support: Introducing Virtual DBA
Virtual DBA is our very own award-winning remote database administration service based here in Australia. Our Microsoft certified team of DBAs watch over your databases 24x7x365, providing a cost effective solution to meet the day-to-day challenges of availability, performance and administration of SQL Server databases. Plans starting from just $1450 per month. Find out more.
SQL Server Monitoring Scripts
The Microsoft SQL Server Tiger Team have releases a set of scripts to assist monitor your SQL Server instances. These scripts can be downloaded here.
Analytics Platform System Update
Microsoft has recently announced an update to the Analytics Platform System (APS). APS is Microsoft’s scale-out Massively Parallel Processing fully integrated system for data warehouse specific workloads. The appliance update builds on the SQL Server2016 release as a foundation to provide many value-added features. APS 2016 offers additional language coverage to support migrations from SQL Server and other platforms. It also features improved security for hybrid scenarios and the latest security and bug fixes through new firmware and driver updates. Find out more about this release here.
Database Experimentation Assistant
Database Experimentation Assistant (DEA) is a new A/B testing solution for SQL Server upgrades that is currently in Preview. This tool will assist in evaluating a targeted version of SQL Server for a given workload. This tool will assist with upgrading from previous SQL server versions and assist identify compatibility errors, degraded queries, query plans, and other workload comparison data to build higher confidence and have a successful upgrade experience. Download the preview of this tool here.
White Paper: SQL Server 2016 and Windows Server 2016 Better Together
Windows Server and Microsoft SQL Server teams are collaborating closely to ensure that the combination of these products is greater than the sum of their parts. Both products are offering improvements to availability and disaster recovery features, providing an unprecedented level of interoperability in a variety of environments. Concepts such as Just Enough Administration (JEA) and new technologies in access control and encryption ensure that data is protected from threats and risks—both external and internal. Simply put, Windows Server 2016 and SQL Server 2016, both world-class products on their own, are better together. To find out more about running SQL Server 2016 on Windows Server 2016 refer to this white paper.
SQL Server on Linux
The Public Preview of SQL Server on Linux is now available for preview. The next release of SQL Server brings the performance and security of SQL Server to Linux and Windows enabling organisations to build modern applications with innovative features using any data, any language. It will enable organisations to develop and deploy with macOS, Windows, Linux, or Docker, on-premises, and in the cloud. Find out more about running SQL Server on Linux.
Free SQL Server 2016 eBook
Microsoft has released a free SQL Server 2016 eBook to help you get the most from your database system through enabling in-memory performance, enhanced security, end-to-end mobile business intelligence (BI), and advanced analytics. Download the free eBook.
$900 Service Pack Service
Are you struggling to keep up to date with the latest SQL Server Pack? For only $900 ex. GST WARDY IT Solutions can review a SQL Server instance and prepare an implementation plan and install the latest SQL Server service pack for your instance and provide post implementation support. To take advantage of this limited offer contact us today.
SQL Server Database Healthcheck
Reduce the need for expensive upgrades by optimising your existing infrastructure and identify problem areas with the SQL Server Database Healthcheck. We carry out a comprehensive examination of your SQL Server environment. Helping to reduce the business risks associated with down-time, performance bottlenecks, and the complexities of deploying and managing Microsoft SQL Server. Find out more.
