08May 2023 by Grant Fritchey 2 Comments

Why Put PostgreSQL in Azure

PostgreSQL
I've had people come up to me and say "PostgreSQL is open source and therefore license free. Why on earth would I put PostgreSQL in Azure?" Honestly, I think that's a very fair question. The shortest possible answer is, of course, you don't have to. You can host your own PostgreSQL instances on local hardware, or build out VMs in Azure and put PostgreSQL out there, some other VM host, or maybe in Kubernetes containers, I mean, yeah, you have tons of options. So why PostgreSQL in Azure, and specifically, I mean the Platform as a Service offering? Let's talk about it. PostgreSQL in Azure Let's assume for a moment that you're PostgreSQL expert (I'm not, but I do play one on TV). You know exactly how to set up…
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27Feb 2023 by Grant Fritchey No Comments

What Happens on Azure SQL Database?

Azure, SQL Server
Last week I posted the results from using Extended Events to snoop on what happens inside an AWS RDS database. This week, I'm taking a look at what happens on Azure SQL Database. I'm using the same toolset again, if for no other reason that I'm consistent in my approach. So it's basically just rpc_completed & sql_batch_completed on the database in question. Let's check out the results. What Happens on Azure SQL Database I would be doing the same thing as before, breaking apart the batch commands from the stored procs and/or prepared statements. However, after 48 hours, I only have 116 of both, so I'm just going to combine them this time. The batch called most frequently, for a whopping total of 8 times over 48 hours, isn't even…
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01Aug 2022 by Grant Fritchey No Comments

Learning PostgreSQL: The Tools

AWS, PostgreSQL, RDS
In case you don't know, I've been writing a series of articles over on Simple-Talk as I learn PostgreSQL. It's all from the point of view of a SQL Server person, expanding into a new technology. In other words, a true story. I thought I'd take a moment here on my own blog to talk about the tools I'm using and why I chose those. AWS RDS Let's establish up front, I'm lazy. Very lazy. So yeah, I'm trying to learn this new technology, but I'm going to find as many ways to use the knowledge, skills & tools I already have as I can. Now, I first started learning PostgreSQL because I wanted to learn more about how Flyway works. Further, as I also needed to learn how to…
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03Feb 2022 by Grant Fritchey No Comments

PostgreSQL Restore in Azure

Azure, PostgreSQL
I recently wrote an article about PostgreSQL restores (and by extension, backups) over on Simple-Talk. The restore process within PostgreSQL, without 3rd party involvement, can be a little tricky. However, when you are using a Platform as a Service offering, like Azure Database for PostgreSQL, things get quite a bit easier. Let's explore this just a little. Restores Come From Backups I know we all know this, but as I said in the article over on Simple-Talk, discussing backup strategy is a mistake. You should instead be discussing a restore or recovery strategy. How do you intend to get your database back? How much data are you prepared to lose? How long should a restore take? Answering these questions leads you to a Recovery Point Objective (RPO), which tells you…
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29Nov 2021 by Grant Fritchey No Comments

Get SQL Server 2022 Now: It’s Called Azure

Azure, SQL Server
If you're like me, your palms went into a cold sweat to get your grubby fingers on the bits for SQL Server 2022 a few nanoseconds after you heard the announcement. Well, you might be waiting a while. As will I. However, I really do want to start experimenting with some of the functionality right now. If you do to, then join me at Azure SQL Database. Azure SQL Database as a Preview for SQL Server 2022 Yeah, I know it's not the same. I get it. You have a need to run this stuff on big iron, not virtual, and certainly not in the cloud. Still, you want to learn, right? Tons of the new functionality is either already in Azure or incorporates Azure functionality. You can get started…
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26Apr 2021 by Grant Fritchey 2 Comments

Using Extended Events Live Data With Azure

Azure, SQL Server, You Can't Do That In Profiler
In my last post I showed some shortcomings of Extended Events, however, it is possible to use Live Data with Azure. Let's explore exactly how that works. To get started, you'll need to follow the directions here to get set up with Azure Storage as the output target of your Extended Events session within your Azure SQL Database. There is a little bit of prep work, but it's all laid out in Microsoft's document. I found the Powershell to be a bit sketchy, but it shows you what's needed. The T-SQL just works. Live Data With Azure Once you've created an Extended Events Session that is output to Azure Storage, you've done most of the work. The trick is really simple. Get the Azure Storage account set up with a…
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19Apr 2021 by Grant Fritchey No Comments

Extended Events and Azure SQL Database

SQL Server, You Can't Do That In Profiler
Knowledge of how your system behaves is vital to better control, maintain, and grow the system. While Azure provides all sorts of wonderful assistance within Azure SQL Database, you're still going to need that same knowledge. When it comes to getting detailed information about Azure SQL Database, the tools are a little more limited than with an on-premises instance of SQL Server, or any virtual instance of SQL Server. There are no trace events. To see individual query calls, recompile events, query store behaviors, and so much more, you're going to have to use Extended Events. I'm going to write a series of posts on using Extended Events with Azure SQL Database. Tradition would call for this first post to be an initial how-to. Instead, I want to take a…
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15Feb 2021 by Grant Fritchey 10 Comments

Learning A Little Oracle

Oracle
As part of my job, I've been tasked with doing some of my work in Oracle, so I'm learning Oracle. Allow me to share a little of my pain as I explore a space I've only ever dabbled in. Getting Started in Oracle Back in the day, in order to get started with Oracle, you begin at the Oracle web site. There, you download an installation, after getting a license (or while, whatever). In our modern era, this is the hard way to get stuff done. The first place I went was Azure. There is excellent Oracle support on the Azure platform and, best of all for me, it's really easy to fire up an Oracle VM. I had a server up and running in no time. Win! Another way…
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16Nov 2020 by Grant Fritchey No Comments

The Learning Curve for DevOps

AWS, Azure, DevOps
If you're attempting to implement automation in and around your deployments, you're going to find there is quite a steep learning curve for DevOps and DevOps-style implementations. Since adopting a DevOps-style release cycle does, at least in theory, speed your ability to deliver better code safely, why would it be hard? Why is there a Learning Curve for DevOps? I recently did a presentation on a simple Continuous Integration process. Here are the tools that I used in the demo: Local Git repositoryVS CodeAzure Data StudioAWS CodeCommitAWS CodePipelineAWS CodeBuildAWS RDS PostgreSQLShell commandsYAMLDockerFlyway Also, I regularly present using Azure DevOps Pipelines too. Here's the list of tools that might be in a given demo: Local Git RepositoryVS CodeAzure Data StudioAzure Git RepositoryAzure DevOps PipelineAzure DevOps AgentRedgate DeployAzure SQL DatabaseYAMLPowerShelltSQLt While there…
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17Aug 2020 by Grant Fritchey 1 Comment

Azure SQL Database Automatic Tuning

Azure
I really like the automatic tuning aspect of Azure SQL Database. This post is not a full explanation and demo. Instead, I want to point out a small point of management in the portal and your ability to configure Automatic Tuning. Configure Automatic Tuning You can configure Automatic Tuning within the Azure portal one of two ways. First, you can configure it with your server: You can inherit the values from Azure, or manually define them. Regardless of your choice, if you look at the server, you can see that your automatic tuning is configured: This is true on the server, whether I make changes to the configuration, or, just take the defaults as I did. My confusion is on the databases. Let's look at one: If we look at…
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