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Delayed Durability in SQL Server 2014
Delayed Durability is a late-breaking but interesting feature in SQL Server 2014; the high-level elevator pitch of the feature is, quite simply: "Trade durability for performance." Some background...
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Comparing Windows Azure VM Performance, Part 1
Unless you have been making a concerted effort to ignore it, you may have heard that Microsoft would really like for you to move much of your SQL Server database infrastructure into a Microsoft data...
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Knee-Jerk Wait Statistics : PAGEIOLATCH_SH
In my posts this year I've been discussing the knee-jerk reactions to various wait types, and in this post I'm going to continue with the wait statistics theme and discuss the PAGEIOLATCH_XX wait. I...
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Comparing Windows Azure VM Performance, Part 2
Earlier this year, I wrote about Comparing Windows Azure VM Performance, using Geekbench 3.1.5 in 32-bit tryout mode to measure the processor and memory performance of a number of different sized...
View ArticleKnee-Jerk Performance Tuning: Just Add an SSD
In this continuation of my ‘knee-jerk performance tuning’ series, I’d like to discuss Solid State Disks (SSDs) and some of the problems I see with their use in a SQL Server environment. For an in-depth...
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Running SQL Server 2014 on an Azure Virtual Machine
Microsoft is making it increasingly easy to run SQL Server 2014 on an Azure virtual machine in one of Microsoft's seventeen Azure data centers. You can run a preconfigured virtual machine with a...
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Proactive SQL Server Health Checks, Part 1 : Disk Space
As 2014 winds down, I’m kicking off a series of posts on proactive SQL Server health checks, based on one I wrote back at the beginning of this year – Performance Issues: The First Encounter. In that...
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Sequential Throughput Speeds and Feeds
I have been talking about the importance of sequential throughput performance for SQL Server for quite some time. Sequential throughput is critically important for many common operations in SQL Server,...
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Monitoring Read/Write Latency
Being responsible for the performance of SQL Server can be a daunting task. There are many areas that we to have to monitor and understand. We are also expected to be able to stay on top of all those...
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Analyzing I/O Performance for SQL Server
One of the most common performance bottlenecks that I see as a consultant is inadequate storage subsystem performance. There are a number of reasons for poor storage performance, but measuring it and...
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Using Microsoft DiskSpd to Test Your Storage Subsystem
Previously, I covered the basics of storage subsystem metrics and testing in my article Analyzing I/O Subsystem Performance for SQL Server, including an introduction of CrystalDiskMark 4.0....
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Introduction to Storage Spaces Direct for SQL Server
Windows Server 2012 introduced a new feature called Scale-Out File Server (SOFS). Historically, SOFS has mainly been used as a shared storage tier (as an alternative to a shared SAN) for Hyper-V...
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Tuning : A Good Place to Start
Note: This post was originally published only in our eBook, High Performance Techniques for SQL Server, Volume 4. You can find out about our eBooks here. I regularly get asked the question, "Where do I...
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Sparse Columns in SQL Server : Impact on Time & Space
SQL Server 2008 introduced sparse columns as a method to reduce storage for null values and provide more extensible schemas. The trade-off is that there is additional overhead when you store and...
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Instant File Initialization : Impact During Setup
Recently, Erin Stellato (@erinstellato) blogged about the performance impact Instant File Initialization (IFI) can have when creating or restoring databases. She explains that SQL Server 2016 setup now...
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Database Hardware and Infrastructure Trends
As I have been watching what has been going on recently in the Windows and SQL Server world, I have come to the conclusion that it is a particularly exciting time to be a database professional working...
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Using Intel Optane Storage for SQL Server
Intel Optane SSD DC P4800X Basics The Intel Optane SSD DC P4800X Series was introduced in Q1 of 2017, initially with a 375GB capacity and later with a 750GB capacity being released later in 2017. Intel...
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