Something for the Weekend – SQL Server Links 25/03/11

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It’s Friday again so why not get the weekend off to a great start by flexing your SQL muscles on this weeks SQL Server Crossword. There’s been a lot of positive feedback about puzzle #3 but interestingly not much gloating on Twitter so I can only assume that I’ve finally hit the ideal level of difficulty :-) The solution will be posted here on Monday.

Here’s your weekly roundup of SQL Server Blog Posts, News and Techie Stuff. Enjoy!

SQL Server Links

• Some Thoughts on Clustering SQL Server Virtual Machines – An excellent post from Jonathan Kehayias (Blog|Twitter) that looks at some of the key elements that will influence your decision making in this space.
• DMV/DMF Info Just A Couple Clicks Away – If you’re like me you probably think you know some pretty cool stuff when it comes to working with T-SQL and then along comes Brad Schulz (Blog) with his SQL Wizardry to remind us just how much we still have to learn.
• Atlanta becomes a product….System Center Advisor – The first of this weeks offerings from those super smart chaps the CSS SQL Server Engineers. System Center Advisor went into action this week and I’d be very interested to hear about your experiences with this new Microsoft offering.
• System Center Advisor: The Next Day…. – The follow on from the above post from.
• Incorrect Timestamp on Events in Extended Events – The second post this week from JK demonstrates a workaround to an Extended Events bug. If you have not been following Jonathan Kehayias (Blog|Twitter) a.k.a Mr Extended Events, then you’re missing out on a fantastic opportunity to up your performance tuning game. Add the man to your favourite RSS Reader right this instant.
• To 1433 or not to 1433…that is the question – Giving their thoughts on this popular security debate it’s the CSS SQL Server Engineers. Interesting stuff! How many of you change the default port configuration for security as part of your SQL Server installs?
• Last Word On Scans – A fantastic post this week from Michael J. Swart (Blog|Twitter) continuing his recent theme of looking at execution plan scan operators and their associated performance counters. Worthy of a permanent spot on the SQL Server Performance reference page no less.
• Statistics, row estimations and the ascending date column – Another brilliant post from Gail Shaw (Blog|Twitter) this week, providing a walk through by example that illustrates just how important statistics are to performance.
• SQL Azure Use Case: Department Application Data Store – Continuing his excellent series of SQL Azure use cases it’s Buck Woody (Blog|Twitter).
• Dynamic Management Quickie: Exploring SQL Server’s system views and functions as you work – Great idea from Kendra Little (Blog|Twitter) with her T-SQL tip on how you can help remember which DMVs to use.