Books published by Simple Talk Publishing

It is a common requirement to make data that lives on one server available on another. You might want to speed up cross-server queries by providing a local copy of the data. You might want to make the data available to resource intensive reporting queries without affecting the OLTP load, maybe even with an intentional delay in synchronization, so that reports run against complete days only. You may wish to replicate a complete database to a secondary 'standby' server for high availability. In each case, SQL Server Replication is a viable option, and Fundamentals of SQL Server 2012 Replication provides the hands-on introduction you need to get started, and explores all of the technology's most important strengths and weaknesses. It will help you make an informed decision on whether replication is the right feature for your requirements, and on which type of replication most appropriate. Equally, it offers guidance on when to avoid replication in favor of features such as simple log shipping, or the "Always On" feature set. This is a practical guide, with all major concepts illustrated with exercises.

Every day, out in the various online forums devoted to SQL Server, and on Twitter, the same types of questions come up repeatedly: Why is this query running slowly? Why is SQL Server ignoring my index? Why does this query run quickly sometimes and slowly at others? My response is the same in each case: have you looked at the execution plan? An execution plan describes what's going on behind the scenes when SQL Server executes a query. It shows how the query optimizer joined the data from the various tables defined in the query, which indexes it used, if any, how it performed any aggregations or sorting, and much more. It also estimates the cost of all of these operations, in terms of the relative load placed on the system. Every Database Administrator, developer, report writer, and anyone else who writes T-SQL to access SQL Server data, must understand how to read and interpret execution plans. My book leads you right from the basics of capturing plans, through how to interrupt them in their various forms, graphical or XML, and then how to use the information you find there to diagnose the most common causes of poor query performance, and so optimize your SQL queries, and improve your indexing strategy.

If you've designed your SQL code intelligently, and implemented a sensible indexing strategy, there's a good chance your queries will "fly", when tested in isolation. In the real world, however, where multiple processes can access the same data at the same time, SQL Server often has to make one process wait, sacrificing concurrency and performance, in order that in order that all can succeed, without destroying data integrity. Transactions are at the heart of concurrency. I explain their ACID properties, the transaction isolation levels that dictate the acceptable behaviors when multiple transactions access the same data simultaneously, and SQL Server's optimistic and pessimistic models for mediating concurrent access. Pessimistic concurrency, SQL Server's default, uses locks to avoid concurrency problems. I explain all the different locks and their compatibility. I show how to control locking with hints and bound connections, and how to troubleshoot excessive blocking and deadlocking. Optimistic concurrency uses row versions to support concurrency. I explain how row versioning works, cover SQL Server's two Snapshot-based isolation levels and offer troubleshooting tips for issues such as update conflicts. Your application can have world-class indexes and queries, but they won't help you if you can't get your data, because another application has it locked. That's why every DBA and developer must understand SQL Server concurrency, and how to troubleshoot any issues. I hope my book helps!

This book starts with an introduction to the core concepts of .NET memory management and garbage collection, and then quickly layers on additional details and intricacies. Once you're up to speed, you can dive into the guided troubleshooting tour, and tips for engineering your application to maximise performance. And to finish off, take a look at some more sophisticated considerations, and even a peek inside the Windows memory model.

We spend much of our working life trying to help people solve SQL Server-related performance problems, either hands-on, during consulting, or on various online community forums. Over the years, we've been exposed to a few weird-and-wonderful SQL Server issues but, mainly, we've seen the same problems and the same misconceptions about how SQL Server works crop up time-and-again. This book is our attempt to describe, diagnose, and solve some of the most common problems associated with the currently-supported versions of SQL Server: SQL Server 2005, 2008, and 2008 R2.

Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 is the latest incarnation of Microsoft's Messaging and Collaboration platform, and is has a lot of new, compelling features. It is the seventh major version of the product, and it rolls out some important changes and plenty of small improvements. Even better, a lot of complex issues from previous versions have seen solved, or simply removed, making the administrator's life much easier! As a trainer and consultant, Jaap knows exactly how chaotic and frustrating major platform upgrades can be, especially when they need to happen seamlessly. Having watched Exchange Server evolve over the last 14 years, Jaap has seen SysAdmins confronting the same problems again and again. He has also seen how big a difference it makes to have a straight-forward, simple guide to the 'brave new world' that each new platform promises. This book is that straight-forward and, above all, practical guide to Exchange Server 2010 SP1, and Jaap has aimed to give Systems Administrators everything they need to get started as soon as it's available. Inside, you'll find step-by-step guides to Installation, Upgrading from Exchange Server 2010, Coexistence scenarios with Exchange Server 2003 & 2007, Managing your new Exchange server, and information on the new High Availability features.

The SQL Server Query Optimizer is perceived by many to be a magic black box, transforming SQL queries into high performance execution plans in the blink of an eye through some unknowable process. The truth is that, while the Query Optimizer is indeed the highly-complex result of decades of research, learning how it works its magic is not only possible, but immensely useful to DBAs and Developers alike. A better understanding of what the Query Optimizer does behind the scenes can help you to improve the performance of your databases and applications, and this book explains the core concepts behind how the SQL Server Query Optimizer works. With this knowledge, you'll be able to write superior queries, provide the Query Optimizer with all the information it needs to produce efficient execution plans, and troubleshoot the cases when the Query Optimizer is not giving you the best plan possible. With over 15 years of experience in the use of Relational Databases (including SQL Server since version 6.5), Benjamin has watched the SQL Server Query Optimizer grow and evolve. His insight will leave you with an excellent foundation in the practicalities of the Query Optimizer, and everything you need to know to start tuning your queries to perfection.

When a SQL Server database is operating smoothly and performing well, there is no need to be particularly aware of the transaction log, beyond ensuring that every database has an appropriate backup regime and restore plan in place. When things go wrong, however, a DBA's reputation depends on a deeper understanding of the transaction log, both what it does, and how it works. An effective response to a crisis requires rapid decisions based on understanding its role in ensuring data integrity.

For as long as there has been something to communicate between two persons there has been data. Today, vast volumes of it are gathered about almost every individual and business. It is the information that we provide when we sign up for an account at our favorite website, fill out a job application, or apply for a mortgage. These valuable, often sensitive, data assets are stored in a SQL Server database, and entrusted to the Database Administrator, who must use every weapon and strategy at his or her disposal in the "war" to protect this sensitive data from would-be hackers, phishers, rumor mongers and identity thieves. Encryption is one of the primary weapons with which this battle can be won, and yet it is treated with trepidation by many, who fear that it will prove "just another way for data to be lost" or "an unjustifiable cost on performance". This book holds the key to "encryption without fear". In it, the author goes way beyond the usual demonstration of the SQL Server cryptographic functions. He explains how to assess and categorize data elements according to sensitivity, regulate access to the various categories of data using database roles, views and stored procedures, and then how to implement an efficient and secure data architecture using the available SQL encryption features, such as cell-level encryption, transparent data encryption and one-way encryption. At each stage the author covers not only how the features work, but also described the situations when they are and are not suitable, and at all times stresses the steps that must be taken to ensure that the solution is maintainable.

SQL Server Profiler is one of the most useful of SQL Server's "built-in" tools, recording data about various SQL Server events. "Mastering SQL Server Profiler" will make it easier for you to learn how to use Profiler, analyze the data it provides, and to take full advantage of its potential for troubleshooting SQL Server problems. All the examples have been optimized to work with both SQL Server 2005 and 2008.

The duties and responsibilitie: s of a Database Administrator (DBA) make for long and dynamically changing list, ranging from offering query tuning advice, to cutting stored procedures, all the way through to system process design and implementation for high availability. A DBA's tasks, from day-to-day, are rarely constant; with one exception: the need to ensure each and every day that any database in their charge can be restored and recovered, in the event of error of disaster. This means that if a database, for whatever reason, gets corrupted, dropped, or otherwise becomes unusable, then it is the DBA's responsibility to restore that database to the state it was in before the problem occurred, or as close as is possible. Of course, this doesn't mean that a DBA is required to restore a database each and every day, just that if disaster does strike the DBA must be prepared to deal with it, regardless of when or why it occurs. If a DBA isn't prepared, and significant data is lost, or databases become unavailable to end users for long periods of time, then that DBA probably won't be in their job for too long. This is why a good, and tested, SQL Server backup and restore plan must be on the top of every administrative DBA's list of tasks. In this book, you'll discover how to perform each of these backup and restore operations using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), basic T-SQL scripts and Red Gate's SQL Backup tool. Capturing backups using SSMS or simple scripts is perfectly fine for one-off backup operations, but any backups that form part of the recovery strategy for any given database must be automated and you'll also want to build in some checks that, for example, alert the responsible DBA immediately if a problem arises. The tool of choice in this book for backup automation is Red Gate SQL Backup. Building your own automated solution will take a lot of work, but we do offer some advice on possible options, such as PowerShell scripting, T-SQL scripts and SQL Server Agent jobs.