<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>SQL Server Blog</title> <atom:link href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider</link> <description>Official News from Microsoft’s Information Platform</description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2017 16:00:01 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <item> <title>Five reasons to run SQL Server 2016 on Windows Server 2016 &#8212; No. 1: Security</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/23/five-reasons-to-run-sql-server-2016-on-windows-server-2016-no-1-security/</link> <comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/23/five-reasons-to-run-sql-server-2016-on-windows-server-2016-no-1-security/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2017 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[SQL Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/?p=19245</guid> <description><![CDATA[This is the first blog in a five-part series. Keep an eye out for upcoming posts, which will cover cutting costs and improving performance of storage, BI, and analytics; improving uptime and reliability; reaching data insights faster by running analytics at the point of creation; and maintaining a consistent data environment across on-premises, hybrid, and... <a aria-label="read more about Five reasons to run SQL Server 2016 on Windows Server 2016 &#8212; No. 1: Security" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/23/five-reasons-to-run-sql-server-2016-on-windows-server-2016-no-1-security/" class="read-more">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><i>This is the first blog in a five-part series. Keep an eye out for upcoming posts, which will cover cutting costs and improving performance of storage, BI, and analytics; improving uptime and reliability; reaching data insights faster by running analytics at the point of creation; and maintaining a consistent data environment across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments.</i></p> <p>Wall, ditch, moat, palisades, watch towers, guards, highly trained soldiers: Even 2,000 years ago, when the Romans built their defenses, they deployed multiple layers of protection to deter invaders and keep intruders out. Today, on the electronic front, IT environments demand no less than a strong, layered approach to ensuring that data assets are protected from attacks such as stolen administrator credentials, unauthorized access, and pass-the-hash exploits.</p> <p>You can see how important security is by examining the cost of data breaches, which is growing rapidly and represents a significant risk to business, as Figure 1 illustrates. To address this, <a href="http://news.microsoft.com/security2015/">Microsoft’s $1 billion annual investment in security</a> demonstrates the company’s longstanding and proven commitment to building security capabilities into both its applications and operating systems. This means you can take advantage of layered security and mitigate risk.</p> <p><b>Figure 1: Growing cost of data breach <b>[1]</b></b></p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-12.png"><img src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-12-214x300.png" alt="figure-1" width="214" height="300" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-19305" /></a></p> <p>Consider SQL Server 2016 and Windows Server 2016, for example: Security is built into both. In fact, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has shown SQL Server to consistently be the least vulnerable database.[2] Underpinning the built-in security you get with SQL Server, Windows Server 2016 adds new OS-level security capabilities to existing security functionality. As a result, if you use both SQL Server 2016 and Windows Server 2016 together, you get enterprise-scale security that meets the strictest organizational and industry standards for your infrastructure and your data.</p> <p><b>Figure 2: Independent findings show unparalleled security</b></p> <p><b><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-21.png"><img src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-21-273x300.png" alt="figure-2" width="273" height="300" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-19265" /></a>[3]</b></p> <p><b>SQL Server 2016 security </b></p> <p>When you modernize your data platform to SQL Server 2016, you get access to innovative advanced security features of the least vulnerable database.[4] Three key built-in features that keep unauthorized users from accessing SQL Server data are:</p> <ul> <li>Always Encrypted enables encryption inside client applications without revealing encryption keys to SQL Server. It allows changes to encrypted data without the need to decrypt it first, as shown in Figure 3. The combination of Transparent Data Encryption and Always Encrypted ensures that data is encrypted both at rest and in motion. (To learn more, see <a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2015/11/18/always-encrypted-in-sql-server-azure-sql-database/">“Always Encrypted in SQL Server &amp; Azure SQL Database.”</a>)</li> </ul> <p><b>Figure 3: </b><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/data-security">Always Encrypted protection</a> <b></b></p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-32.png"><img src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-32-300x112.png" alt="figure-3" width="300" height="112" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-19275" /></a></p> <ul> <li>Row-Level Security (RLS), which Figure 4 illustrates, enables developers to centralize row-level access logic in the database and maintain a consistent data access policy to reduce the risk of accidental data leakage. (For details, see <a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2016/01/21/limiting-access-to-data-using-row-level-security/">“Limiting access to data using Row-Level Security.”</a>)</li> </ul> <p><b>Figure 4: Row-Level Security</b></p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-42.png"><img src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-42-300x146.png" alt="figure-4" width="300" height="146" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-19285" /></a></p> <ul> <li>Dynamic Data Masking (DDM) lets you conceal your sensitive data or personally identifiable information (PII) such as customer phone number, bank information or Social Security number. DDM and RLS help developers build applications that require restricted direct access to certain data as a means of preventing users from seeing specific information. Figure 5 illustrates. (For deeper information, see <a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2016/01/25/use-dynamic-data-masking-to-obfuscate-your-sensitive-data/">“Use Dynamic Data Masking to obfuscate your sensitive data.”</a>)</li> </ul> <p><b>Figure 5: Dynamic Data Masking</b></p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-52.png"><img src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/Figure-52-300x184.png" alt="figure-5" width="300" height="184" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-19295" /></a></p> <p>To learn more about SQL Server 2016 security, you can visit the <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/data-security">SQL Server data security webpage</a> and read the <a href="http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/0/E/90E591E0-1F6D-4C79-A0C8-9E2B29A94B15/SQL_Server_2016_Keeping_Data_Secured_White_Paper_EN_US.pdf">security white paper</a>.</p> <p><b>Windows Server 2016 security</b></p> <p>Just as SQL Server 2016 provides advanced security features that are not available in other data platforms, Windows Server 2016 includes built-in breach-resistance mechanisms to establish strong security layers to help thwart attacks.</p> <p>The Windows Server 2016 operating system is a strategic layer in your infrastructure and serves as the foundation for your SQL Server data security. To prevent data exposure, you need the most advanced protection you can get. By modernizing both your server platform and your data platform together, you can be assured you’re doing your best to protect your business. The security functionality in Windows Server 2016 includes the following:</p> <ul> <li><b>Device Guard</b> helps lock down what runs on the server so that you are better protected from unauthorized software running on the same server as your SQL Server application.</li> <li><b>Credential Guard</b> to protect SQL Server admin credentials from being stolen by Pass-the-Hash and Pass-the-Ticket attacks. Using an entirely new isolated Local Security Authority (LSA) process, which is not accessible to the rest of the operating system, Credential Guard’s virtualization-based security isolates credential information to prevent interception of password hashes or Kerberos tickets.</li> <li><b>Control Flow Guard</b> and <b>Windows Defender</b> protect against known and unknown vulnerabilities that malware can otherwise exploit. Control Flow tightly restricts what application code can be executed — especially indirect call instructions. Lightweight security checks identify the set of functions in the application that are valid targets for indirect calls. When an application runs, it verifies that these indirect call targets are valid. Windows Defender works hand-in-hand with Device Guard and Control Flow Guard to prevent malicious code of any kind from being installed on your servers.</li> </ul> <p>To learn more about the advanced layers of OS security, visit the <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/windows-server-security">Windows Server security webpage</a> and read the <a href="http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/7/3/673E651E-C5B3-4C93-A69A-94042EB6DE22/Windows_Server_2016_Security_Better_protection_begins_at_the_OS_Whitepaper_EN_US.pdf">white paper</a>.</p> <p>Thanks for reading our first blog in the series. For more info, check out this <a href="http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/2/7/F27DCF07-9558-4C26-80A2-79A4846B16A1/SQL_Server_2016_and_Windows_Server_2016_Better_Together_datasheet_EN_US.pdf">summary of five reasons to run SQL Server 2016 with Windows Server 2016.</a></p> <p><b>Ready to give it a try? Here are some options to get started:</b></p> <p><a href="https://info.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2016VirtualLabs.html">Windows Server Virtual Labs</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server-2016">Windows Server 2016 Free Evaluation</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads">SQL Server 2016 Free Evaluation</a></p> <p><a href="https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/virtuallabs?id=IMUmyf7VAbE">SQL Server Virtual Labs</a></p> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <p>[1] <a href="https://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/49926.wss">“Data Breach Costs Rising, Now $4 Million per Incident”</a></p> <p>[2] National Institute of Standards and Technology Comprehensive Vulnerability Database, update 2016</p> <p>[3] National Institute of Standards and Technology Comprehensive Vulnerability Database, update 2016</p> <p>[4] National Institute of Standards and Technology Comprehensive Vulnerability Database, update 2016</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/23/five-reasons-to-run-sql-server-2016-on-windows-server-2016-no-1-security/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>SQL Server next version CTP 1.4 now available</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/17/sql-server-next-version-ctp-1-4-now-available/</link> <comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/17/sql-server-next-version-ctp-1-4-now-available/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 17 Mar 2017 16:05:00 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[SQL Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/?p=19175</guid> <description><![CDATA[Microsoft is excited to announce a new preview for the next version of SQL Server (SQL Server v.Next). Community Technology Preview (CTP) 1.4 is available on both Windows and Linux. In this preview, we added the ability to schedule jobs using SQL Server Agent on Linux. You can try the preview in your choice of... <a aria-label="read more about SQL Server next version CTP 1.4 now available" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/17/sql-server-next-version-ctp-1-4-now-available/" class="read-more">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Microsoft is excited to announce a new preview for the next version of SQL Server (SQL Server v.Next). Community Technology Preview (CTP) 1.4 is available on both Windows and Linux. In this preview, we added the ability to schedule jobs using SQL Server Agent on Linux. You can try the preview in your choice of development and test environments now: <a href="http://www.sqlserveronlinux.com">www.sqlserveronlinux.com</a>.</p> <h2>Key CTP 1.4 enhancements</h2> <p>The primary enhancement to SQL Server v.Next on Linux in this release is the ability to schedule jobs using SQL Server Agent. This functionality helps administrators automate maintenance jobs and other tasks, or run them in response to an event. Some SQL Server Agent functionality is not yet enabled for SQL Server on Linux. To learn more and see sample SQL Server Agent jobs, you can read our detailed blog titled “<a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/17/sql-server-on-linux-running-jobs-with-sql-server-agent/">SQL Server on Linux: Running scheduled jobs with SQL Server Agent</a>” or attend an Engineering Town Hall about “<a href="https://info.microsoft.com/sql-server-on-linux-town-hall-sql-server-agent-register.html">SQL Server Agent and Full Text Search in SQL Server on Linux</a>.”</p> <p>The <a href="https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/mssql-server-linux/">mssql-server-linux</a> container image on Docker Hub now includes the sqlcmd and bcp command line utilities to make it easier to create and attach databases and automate other actions when working with containers. For additional detail on CTP 1.4, please visit <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/mt788653(SQL.130).aspx">What’s New in SQL Server v.Next</a>, <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/mt788652(SQL.130).aspx">Release Notes</a> and <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/">Linux documentation</a>.</p> <p>In addition, SQL Server Analysis Services and SQL Server Reporting Services developer tools now support Visual Studio 2017. They are available for installation from the <a href="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/">Visual Studio Marketplace</a> providing the option for automatic updates going forward.<i></i></p> <h2>Get SQL Server v.Next CTP 1.4 today!</h2> <p>Try the preview of the next release of SQL Server today! Get started with the preview of SQL Server with <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/sql-server/developer-get-started">our developer tutorials</a> that show you how to install and use SQL Server v.Next on macOS, Docker, Windows, and Linux and quickly build an app in a programming language of your choice.</p> <ul> <li>Register to attend an Engineering Town Hall about “<a href="https://info.microsoft.com/sql-server-on-linux-town-hall-sql-server-agent-register.html">SQL Server Agent and Full Text Search in SQL Server on Linux</a>.”</li> <li><a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-setup-red-hat">Install on Red Hat Enterprise Linux</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-setup-ubuntu">Install on Ubuntu Linux</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-setup-suse-linux-enterprise-server">Install on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/">Pull and run a Linux Docker container on Linux, Windows, or macOS</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/evalcenter/evaluate-sql-server-vnext-ctp">Download the preview for Windows</a></li> <li><a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/?term=%22SQL+Server+vNext%22">Create a SQL Server on Linux virtual machine in Azure</a></li> <li><a href="https://aka.ms/eapsignup">Sign up for the Early Adoption Program (EAP)</a> — The EAP is designed to help customers and partners evaluate new features in SQL Server v.Next, and to build and deploy applications for SQL Server v.Next on Windows and Linux.</li> </ul> <p>Have questions? Join the discussion of SQL Server v.Next at <a href="https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/sqlserver/en-US/home">MSDN</a>. If you run into an issue or would like to make a suggestion, you can let us know through <a href="https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer">Connect</a>. We look forward to hearing from you!</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/17/sql-server-next-version-ctp-1-4-now-available/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>SQL Server on Linux: Running jobs with SQL Server Agent</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/17/sql-server-on-linux-running-jobs-with-sql-server-agent/</link> <comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/17/sql-server-on-linux-running-jobs-with-sql-server-agent/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 17 Mar 2017 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[SQL Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/?p=19165</guid> <description><![CDATA[In keeping with our goal to enable SQL Server features across all platforms supported by SQL Server, Microsoft is excited to announce the preview of SQL Server Agent on Linux in SQL Server vNext Community Technology Preview (CTP) 1.4. SQL Server Agent is a component that executes scheduled administrative tasks, called “jobs.” Jobs contain one... <a aria-label="read more about SQL Server on Linux: Running jobs with SQL Server Agent" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/17/sql-server-on-linux-running-jobs-with-sql-server-agent/" class="read-more">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In keeping with our goal to enable SQL Server features across all platforms supported by SQL Server, Microsoft is excited to announce the preview of SQL Server Agent on Linux in SQL Server vNext Community Technology Preview (CTP) 1.4.</p> <p>SQL Server Agent is a component that executes scheduled administrative tasks, called “jobs.” Jobs contain one or more job steps. Each step contains its own task such as backing up a database. SQL Server Agent can run a job on a schedule, in response to a specific event, or on demand. For example, if you want to back up all the company databases every weekday after hours, you can automate doing so by scheduling an Agent job to run a backup at 22:00 Monday through Friday.</p> <p>We have released SQL Server Agent packages for Ubuntu, RedHat Enterprise Linux, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server that you can <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-setup-sql-agent">install via apt-get, yum, and zypper</a>. Once you install these packages, you can create T-SQL Jobs using SSMS, sqlcmd, and other GUI and command line tools.</p> <p>Here is a simple example:</p> <ul> <li><b>Create a job</b></li> </ul> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">CREATE DATABASE SampleDB ;</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">USE msdb ;</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">GO</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">EXEC dbo.sp_add_job</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@job_name = N&#8217;Daily SampleDB Backup&#8217; ;</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">GO</span></p> <ul> <li><b>Add one or more job steps</b></li> </ul> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">EXEC sp_add_jobstep</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@job_name = N&#8217;Daily SampleDB Backup&#8217;,</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@step_name = N&#8217;Backup database&#8217;,</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@subsystem = N&#8217;TSQL&#8217;,</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@command = N&#8217;BACKUP DATABASE SampleDB TO DISK = \</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">N&#8221;/var/opt/mssql/data/SampleDB.bak&#8221; WITH NOFORMAT, NOINIT, \</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 120px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">NAME = &#8221;SampleDB-full&#8221;, SKIP, NOREWIND, NOUNLOAD, STATS = 10&#8242;,</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@retry_attempts = 5,</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@retry_interval = 5 ;</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">GO</span></p> <ul> <li><strong>Create a job schedule</strong><strong></strong></li> </ul> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">EXEC dbo.sp_add_schedule</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@schedule_name = N&#8217;Daily SampleDB&#8217;,</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@freq_type = 4,</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@freq_interval = 1,</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@active_start_time = 233000 ;</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">USE msdb ;</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">GO</span></p> <ul> <li><b>Attach the schedule and add the job server</b><b></b></li> </ul> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">EXEC sp_attach_schedule</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@job_name = N&#8217;Daily SampleDB Backup&#8217;,</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@schedule_name = N&#8217;Daily SampleDB&#8217;;</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">GO</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">EXEC dbo.sp_add_jobserver</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@job_name = N&#8217;Daily SampleDB Backup&#8217;,</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">@server_name = N'(LOCAL)&#8217;;</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">GO</span></p> <ul> <li><b>Start job</b></li> </ul> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">EXEC dbo.sp_start_job N&#8217; Daily SampleDB Backup&#8217; ;</span></p> <p style="padding-left: 40px"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">GO</span></p> <h2>Limitations:</h2> <p>The following types of SQL Agent jobs are not currently supported on Linux:</p> <ul> <li>Subsystems: CmdExec, PowerShell, Replication Distributor, Snapshot, Merge, Queue Reader, SSIS, SSAS, SSRS</li> <li>Alerts</li> <li>DB Mail</li> <li>Log Shipping</li> <li>Log Reader Agent</li> <li>Change Data Capture</li> </ul> <h2>Get started</h2> <p>If you’re ready to get started with SQL Server on Linux, here’s how to <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-setup-sql-agent">install the SQL Server Agent package via apt-get, yum, and zypper.</a> And here’s how to <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-run-sql-server-agent-job">create your first T-SQL job and show you to use SSMS with SQL Agent</a>.</p> <h2>Learn more</h2> <ul> <li>Read <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/">detailed documentation</a>.</li> <li><a href="https://info.microsoft.com/sql-server-on-linux-town-hall-high-availability-register.html">Register</a> for the next Engineering Town Hall webinar.</li> <li><a href="https://helsinki.catalysis.com/registration.aspx">Sign up to stay informed</a> about new SQL Server on Linux developments.</li> <li>If you have a workload ready to run on SQL Server v.Next, sign up for the <a href="http://sqlservervnexteap.azurewebsites.net/">SQL Server Early Adoption Program (EAP)</a>.</li> </ul> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/17/sql-server-on-linux-running-jobs-with-sql-server-agent/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Introducing Microsoft Data Amp</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/15/introducing-microsoft-data-amp/</link> <comments>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/15/introducing-microsoft-data-amp/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 15 Mar 2017 17:30:00 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[SQL Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/?p=19125</guid> <description><![CDATA[This post was authored by Mitra Azizirad, Corporate Vice President, Cloud Application Development &#38; Data Marketing, Microsoft Today, I am excited to announce that on April 19, we will host a new online event, Microsoft Data Amp. Microsoft Data Amp is inspired by you, our customers and partners, who everyday are transforming applications and industries... <a aria-label="read more about Introducing Microsoft Data Amp" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/15/introducing-microsoft-data-amp/" class="read-more">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This post was authored by Mitra Azizirad, Corporate Vice President, Cloud Application Development &amp; Data Marketing, Microsoft</p> <p>Today, I am excited to announce that on April 19, we will host a new online event, <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/dataamp">Microsoft Data Amp</a>.</p> <p>Microsoft Data Amp is inspired by you, our customers and partners, who everyday are transforming applications and industries by using data in innovative ways, to predict, take action and create new business opportunities. We continue to accelerate our pace of innovation to enable you to meet the demands of a dynamic marketplace and harness the incredible power of data, more securely and faster than before.</p> <p>Next month at Microsoft Data Amp, Executive Vice President Scott Guthrie and Corporate Vice President Joseph Sirosh will share how Microsoft’s latest innovations put data, analytics and artificial intelligence at the heart of business transformation. The event will include exciting announcements that will help you derive even more value from the cloud, enable transformative application development, and ensure you can capitalize on intelligence from any data, any size, anywhere, across Linux and other open source technologies.</p> <p>Customers and partners, in industries from healthcare to retail, will illustrate how they are innovating, evolving and reshaping their businesses by infusing data into the heart of their solutions and applications. Microsoft Data Amp will also feature demos and deep dives on new scenarios enabled by a broad array of new data and analytics technologies, from SQL Server to Azure Machine Learning.</p> <p>I encourage you to <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/dataamp">save the date</a>, and I look forward to you joining us for Microsoft Data Amp on April 19.<span style="text-decoration: line-through"></span></p> <p><b><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/clip_image0016.jpg"><img src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/clip_image0016.jpg" alt="clip_image0016.jpg" width="156" height="199" class="size-full wp-image-19135 alignleft" /></a></b></p> <p><strong>Mitra Azizirad, Corporate Vice President, Cloud Application Development &amp; Data Marketing, Microsoft</strong></p> <p>With an expansive technical, business and marketing background, Azizirad has led multiple and varied businesses across Microsoft for over two decades. She leads product marketing for Microsoft’s developer, data and artificial intelligence offerings spanning Visual Studio, SQL Server, Cortana Intelligence Services, .NET, Xamarin and associated Azure data, cognitive and developer services.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/15/introducing-microsoft-data-amp/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Gartner names Microsoft a leader in the Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics (DMSA)</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/07/gartner-names-microsoft-a-leader-in-the-magic-quadrant-for-data-management-solutions-for-analytics-dmsa/</link> <pubDate>Tue, 07 Mar 2017 17:47:28 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[SQL Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/?p=19095</guid> <description><![CDATA[This post was authored by Rohan Kumar, General Manager, DS SQL Engineering. We’re excited that Gartner has recognized Microsoft as a leader in the Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics (DMSA). Gartner defines the DMSA as a system for storing, accessing, processing, and delivering data intended for one of the primary use cases... <a aria-label="read more about Gartner names Microsoft a leader in the Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics (DMSA)" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/07/gartner-names-microsoft-a-leader-in-the-magic-quadrant-for-data-management-solutions-for-analytics-dmsa/" class="read-more">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>This post was authored by Rohan Kumar, General Manager, DS SQL Engineering.</span></p> <p>We’re excited that Gartner has <a href="https://info.microsoft.com/gartner-mq-dmsa-register.html">recognized</a> Microsoft as a leader in the <b>Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics (DMSA)</b>. Gartner defines the DMSA as a system for storing, accessing, processing, and delivering data intended for one of the primary use cases that support analytics.<a href="/Users/jhaynsworth/Documents/azureBlogs/170307/#_ftn1_9535">[1]</a> These use cases include supporting ongoing traditional, operational, logical, and context-independent data warehousing.<a href="/Users/jhaynsworth/Documents/azureBlogs/170307/#_ftn2_9535">[2]</a> The DMSA thus represents an evolution from the traditional data warehousing approach. Although data warehousing continues to be a major use case, the DMSA encompasses new trends such as data lakes and context-independent data warehouses that enable data science uses cases.<a href="/Users/jhaynsworth/Documents/azureBlogs/170307/#_ftn3_9535">[3]</a></p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/magicQuadrantDMSA.png"><img title="magicQuadrantDMSA" style="float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin-left: auto;padding-right: 0px;margin-right: auto;border: 0px" border="0" alt="magicQuadrantDMSA" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/03/magicQuadrantDMSA_thumb.png" width="614" height="614" class="aligncenter" /></a></p> <p>At Microsoft we have been championing a similar evolution to make big data processing and analytics simpler and more accessible to transform data into intelligent action. We do this through <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-2016">SQL Server 2016</a> and the <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/cortana-intelligence-suite/overview.aspx">Cortana Intelligence Suite</a> to offer a comprehensive portfolio of solutions to do data warehousing, big data, and advanced analytics solutions. SQL Server as an example gives organizations a breadth of capabilities to do analytics on-premises, including features like real-time operational analytics, in-memory columnstore, integration with Hadoop via PolyBase, in-database analytics with R Services built in, and fast time to market with reference architectures. In the cloud, we offer Cortana Intelligence Suite, which has <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/sql-data-warehouse/">SQL Data Warehouse</a>, a truly elastic, scale-out data warehouse; <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/hdinsight/">HDInsight</a>, a managed Hadoop service that runs <a href="http://hortonworks.com/">Hortonworks Data Platform</a>; <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/data-lake-analytics/">Data Lake Analytics</a>, an on-demand analytics job service to power intelligent action; <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/data-lake-store/">Data Lake Store</a>, a no-limits data lake to power intelligent action; and <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/documentdb/">DocumentDB</a>, a global scale-out NoSQL service with &lt;10ms guarantees.</p> <p>In providing customers with these solutions, our goal is to help them realize the full potential of their data and give them the ability to transform their business. As an example, <a href="https://customers.microsoft.com/en-US/story/a-growing-banks-fruitful-new-approach-to-data-helps-it">Tangerine</a> uses a data warehouse on-premises with Hadoop in the cloud so that it can query relational and nonrelational data to accelerate its time to insights. With such a solution, Tangerine is looking to transform the financial services industry by building a predictive, context-aware application that gives it information based on the time and where the customer is.</p> <p>We’re excited that Gartner recognized both our ability to execute and the completeness of vision by placing Microsoft in the leader’s quadrant of the <b>Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics.</b> Gartner notes that leaders have been able to adapt rapidly to this changing market and have pursued all the primary use cases Gartner identified to support analytics.<a href="/Users/jhaynsworth/Documents/azureBlogs/170307/#_ftn4_9535">[4]</a> The push for cloud has also affected the relative ratings among the leaders.<a href="/Users/jhaynsworth/Documents/azureBlogs/170307/#_ftn5_9535">[5]</a> In the coming year, we will continue to focus on delivering the highest value to our customers and partners through innovations that make data warehousing, big data, and analytics even more accessible to transform data into intelligent action. You can read the full report, “<b>Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics</b>,” <a href="https://info.microsoft.com/gartner-mq-dmsa-register.html">here</a>.</p> <p>To learn more:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-2016">SQL Server 2016</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/cortana-intelligence-suite">Cortana Intelligence Suite</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/sql-data-warehouse/">Azure SQL Data Warehouse</a></li> <li><a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/hdinsight/">Azure HDInsight</a></li> <li><a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/data-lake-store/">Azure Data Lake Store</a></li> <li><a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/data-lake-analytics/">Azure Data Lake Analytics</a></li> <li><a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/documentdb/">Azure DocumentDB</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <p><a href="/Users/jhaynsworth/Documents/azureBlogs/170307/#_ftnref1_9535">[1]</a> Source: Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics, 2017.<br /> <a href="/Users/jhaynsworth/Documents/azureBlogs/170307/#_ftnref2_9535">[2]</a> Source: Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics, 2017.<br /> <a href="/Users/jhaynsworth/Documents/azureBlogs/170307/#_ftnref3_9535">[3]</a> Source: Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics, 2017.<br /> <a href="/Users/jhaynsworth/Documents/azureBlogs/170307/#_ftnref4_9535">[4]</a> Source: Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics, 2017.<br /> <a href="/Users/jhaynsworth/Documents/azureBlogs/170307/#_ftnref5_9535">[5]</a> Source: Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Data Management Solutions for Analytics, 2017.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Now available! SQL Server Premium Assurance provides six more years of product support</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/01/now-available-sql-server-premium-assurance-provides-six-more-years-of-product-support/</link> <pubDate>Wed, 01 Mar 2017 22:00:34 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[SQL Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/?p=19055</guid> <description><![CDATA[Today we are announcing general availability of SQL Server Premium Assurance, a new offering that enables flexibility to keep systems running without disruption while modernizing on your own schedule. When you purchase Premium Assurance, you receive “critical” and “important” security updates and bulletins during the six years after the End of Extended Support. This means you... <a aria-label="read more about Now available! SQL Server Premium Assurance provides six more years of product support" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/03/01/now-available-sql-server-premium-assurance-provides-six-more-years-of-product-support/" class="read-more">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Today we are announcing general availability of SQL Server Premium Assurance, a new offering that enables flexibility to keep systems running without disruption while modernizing on your own schedule.</p> <p>When you purchase Premium Assurance, you receive “critical” and “important” security updates and bulletins during the six years after the End of Extended Support. This means you can get up to 16 years of total support beginning with SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 versions.</p> <p>To learn more about SQL Server Premium Assurance and its companion offering Windows Server Premium Assurance, visit the announcement on <a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/hybridcloud/2017/03/01/now-available-windows-server-premium-assurance-and-sql-server-premium-assurance/">Hybrid Cloud blog</a>. You can get the lowest price and lock in savings if you purchase Premium Assurance through June 2017. Prices will increase over time, so act now!</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>SQL Server next version CTP 1.3 now available</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/02/17/sql-server-next-version-ctp-1-3-now-available/</link> <pubDate>Fri, 17 Feb 2017 17:15:51 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[SQL Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/?p=19035</guid> <description><![CDATA[Microsoft is excited to announce a new preview for the next version of SQL Server (SQL Server v.Next). Community Technology Preview (CTP) 1.3 is available on both Windows and Linux. In this preview, we added several feature enhancements to High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR), including the ability to run Always On Availability Groups on... <a aria-label="read more about SQL Server next version CTP 1.3 now available" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/02/17/sql-server-next-version-ctp-1-3-now-available/" class="read-more">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Microsoft is excited to announce a new preview for the next version of SQL Server (SQL Server v.Next). Community Technology Preview (CTP) 1.3 is available on both Windows and Linux. In this preview, we added several feature enhancements to High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR), including the ability to run Always On Availability Groups on Linux. You can try the preview in your choice of development and test environments now: <a href="http://www.sqlserveronlinux.com">www.sqlserveronlinux.com</a>.</p> <h2>Key CTP 1.3 enhancement: Always On Availability Groups on Linux</h2> <p>In SQL Server v.Next, we continue to add new enhancements for greater availability and higher uptime. A key design principle has been to provide customers with the same HA and DR solutions on all platforms supported by SQL Server. On Windows, Always On depends on Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC). <b>On Linux, you can now create Always On Availability Groups, </b>which integrate with Linux-based cluster resource managers to enable automatic monitoring, failure detection and automatic failover during unplanned outages. We started with the popular clustering technology, Pacemaker.</p> <p>In addition, <b>Availability Groups can now work across Windows and Linux as part of the same Distributed Availability Group</b>. This configuration can accomplish cross-platform migrations without downtime. To learn more, you can read our blog titled “<a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/02/17/sql-server-on-linux-mission-critical-hadr-with-always-on-availability-groups">SQL Server on Linux: Mission Critical HADR with Always On Availability Groups</a>”.</p> <h2>Other Enhancements</h2> <p>SQL Server v.Next CTP 1.3 also includes these additional feature enhancements:</p> <ul> <li><b>Full text search</b> is now available for all supported Linux distributions.</li> <li><b>Resumable online index rebuilds</b> enables users to recover more easily from interruption of index builds, or split an index build across maintenance windows.</li> <li><b>Temporal Tables Retention Policy</b> support enables customers to more easily manage the amount of historical data retained by temporal tables.</li> <li><b>Indirect checkpoint performance improvements</b>. <a href="https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/psssql/2016/04/12/sql-2016-it-just-runs-faster-indirect-checkpoint-default/">Indirect checkpoint is the recommended configuration for large databases and for SQL Server 2016</a>, and now it will be even more performant in SQL Server v.Next.</li> <li><b>Minimum Replica Commit Availability Groups</b> <b>setting</b> enables users to set the minimum number of replicas that are required to commit a transaction before committing on the primary.</li> <li>For SQL Server v.Next technical preview running on Windows Server, <b>encoding hints in SQL Server Analysis Services </b>is an advanced feature to help optimize refresh times with no impact on query performance.</li> </ul> <p>For additional detail on CTP 1.3, please visit <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/mt788653(SQL.130).aspx">What’s New in SQL Server v.Next</a>, <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/mt788652(SQL.130).aspx">Release Notes</a> and <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/">Linux documentation</a>.</p> <h2>Get SQL Server v.Next CTP 1.3 today!</h2> <p>Try the preview of the next release of SQL Server today! Get started with the preview of SQL Server with <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/sql-server/developer-get-started">our developer tutorials</a> that show you how to install and use SQL Server v.Next on macOS, Docker, Windows and Linux and quickly build an app in a programming language of your choice.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-setup-red-hat">Install on Red Hat Enterprise Linux</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-setup-ubuntu">Install on Ubuntu Linux</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-setup-suse-linux-enterprise-server">Install on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/">Pull and run a Linux Docker container on Linux, Windows or macOS</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/evalcenter/evaluate-sql-server-vnext-ctp">Download the preview for Windows</a></li> <li><a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/?term=%22SQL+Server+vNext%22">Create a SQL Server on Linux virtual machine in Azure</a></li> <li><a href="https://aka.ms/eapsignup">Sign up for the Early Adoption Program (EAP)</a> &#8211; The Early Adoption Program is designed to help customers and partners evaluate new features in SQL Server v.Next, and to build and deploy applications for SQL Server v.Next on Windows and Linux.</li> </ul> <p>Have questions? Join the discussion of SQL Server v.Next at <a href="https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/sqlserver/en-US/home">MSDN</a>. If you run into an issue or would like to make a suggestion, you can let us know through <a href="https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer">Connect</a>. We look forward to hearing from you!</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>SQL Server on Linux: Mission-critical HADR with Always On Availability Groups</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/02/17/sql-server-on-linux-mission-critical-hadr-with-always-on-availability-groups/</link> <pubDate>Fri, 17 Feb 2017 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[SQL Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/?p=19025</guid> <description><![CDATA[This post was authored by Mihaela Blendea, Senior Program Manager, SQL Server In keeping with our goal to enable the same High Availability and Disaster Recovery solutions on all platforms supported by SQL Server, today Microsoft is excited to announce the preview of Always On Availability Groups for Linux in SQL Server v.Next Community Technology... <a aria-label="read more about SQL Server on Linux: Mission-critical HADR with Always On Availability Groups" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/02/17/sql-server-on-linux-mission-critical-hadr-with-always-on-availability-groups/" class="read-more">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This post was authored by Mihaela Blendea, Senior Program Manager, SQL Server</p> <p>In keeping with our goal to enable the same High Availability and Disaster Recovery solutions on all platforms supported by SQL Server, today Microsoft is excited to announce the preview of Always On Availability Groups for Linux in SQL Server v.Next Community Technology Preview (CTP) 1.3. This technology adds to the HADR options available for SQL Server on Linux, having previously enabled shared disk failover cluster instance capabilities.</p> <p>First released with SQL Server 2012 and enhanced in the 2014 and 2016 releases, Always On Availability Groups is SQL Server&#8217;s flagship solution for HADR. It provides High Availability for groups of databases on top of direct attached storage, supporting multiple active secondary replicas for integrated HA/DR, automatic failure detection, fast transparent failover, and read load balancing. This broad set of capabilities is enabling customers to meet the strictest availability SLA requirements for their mission- critical workloads.</p> <p>Here is an overview of the scenarios that Always On Availability Groups are enabling for SQL Server v.Next:</p> <h2>Run mission-critical application using SQL Server running on Linux</h2> <p>Always On Availability Groups make it easy for your applications to meet rigorous business continuity requirements. This feature is now available on all Linux OS distributions SQL Server v.Next supports — Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Also, all capabilities that make Availability Groups a flexible, integrated and efficient HADR solution are available on Linux as well:</p> <ul> <li><b><i>Multidatabase failover</i></b> – an availability group supports a failover environment for a set of user databases, known as availability databases.</li> <li><b><i>Fast failure detection and failover</i></b> – as a resource in a highly available cluster, an availability group benefits from built-in cluster intelligence for immediate failover detection and failover action.</li> <li><b><i>Transparent failover using availability group listener</i></b> – enables client to use single connection string to primary or secondary databases that does not change in case of failover.</li> <li><b><i>Multiple sync/async secondary replicas</i></b> – an availability group supports up to eight secondary replicas. The availability mode determines whether the primary replica waits (synchronous replica) or not (asynchronous replica) to commit transactions on a database until a given secondary replica has written the transaction log records to disk.</li> <li><b><i>Manual/automatic failover with no data loss </i></b>– failover to a synchronized secondary replica can be triggered automatically by the cluster or on demand by the database administrator.<b><i></i></b></li> <li><b><i>Active secondary replicas available for read/backup workloads</i></b> – one or more secondary replicas can be configured to support read-only access to secondary databases and/or to permit backups on secondary databases.</li> <li><b><i>Automatic seeding</i></b> – SQL Server automatically creates the secondary replicas for every database in the availability group.</li> <li><b><i>Read-only routing</i></b> – SQL Server routes incoming connections to an availability group listener to a secondary replica that is configured to allow read-only workloads.</li> <li><b><i>Database level health monitoring and failover trigger</i></b> – enhanced database-level monitoring and diagnostics.</li> <li><b><i>Disaster Recovery</i></b> <b><i>configurations</i></b> – with Distributed Availability Groups or multisubnet availability group setup.</li> </ul> <p>Here is an illustration of a HADR configuration that an enterprise building a mission-critical application using SQL Server running on Linux can use to achieve: application-level protection (two synchronized secondary replicas), compliance with business continuity regulations (DR replica on remote site) as well as enhance performance (offload reporting and backup workloads to active secondary replicas):</p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/clip_image0029.png"><img title="clip_image002" style="padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;padding-right: 0px;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="clip_image002" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/clip_image002_thumb8.png" width="1186" height="864" /></a></p> <p><i>Fig. 1</i> <i>Always On Availability Groups as an Integrated and Flexible HADR Solution on Linux</i></p> <p>On Windows, Always On depends on Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC) for distributed metadata storage, failure detection and failover orchestration. On Linux, we are enabling Availability Groups to integrate natively with your choice of clustering technology. For example, in preview today SQL Server v.Next integrates with Pacemaker, a popular Linux clustering technology. Users can add a previously configured SQL Server Availability Group as a resource to a Pacemaker cluster and all the orchestration regarding monitoring, failure detection and failover is taken care of. To achieve this, customers will use the SQL Server Resource Agent for Pacemaker available with the <b><i>mssql-server-ha</i></b> package, that is installed alongside <b><i>mssql-server</i></b>.</p> <h2>Workload load balancing for increased scale and performance</h2> <p>Previously, users had to set up a cluster to load balance read workloads for their application using readable secondary replicas. Configuring and operating a cluster implied a lot of manageability overhead, if HA was not the goal.</p> <p>Users can now create a group of replicated databases and leverage the fastest replication technology for SQL Server to offload secondary read-only workloads from the primary replica. If the goal is to conserve resources for mission-critical workloads running on the primary, users can now use read-only routing or directly connect to readable secondary replicas, without depending on integration with any clustering technology. These new capabilities are available for SQL Server running on both Windows and Linux platforms.</p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/clip_image0081.png"><img title="clip_image008" style="padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;padding-right: 0px;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="clip_image008" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/clip_image008_thumb1.png" width="1186" height="503" /></a></p> <p><i>Fig. 2 Group of Read-Only Replicated Databases to Load Balance Read-Only Workloads</i></p> <p>Note this is not a high-availability setup, as there is no “fabric” to monitor and coordinate failure detection and automatic failover. For users who need HADR capabilities, we recommend they use a cluster manager (WSFC on Windows or Pacemaker on Linux).</p> <h2>Seamless cross-platform migration</h2> <p>By setting up a cross-platform Distributed Availability Group, users can do a live migration of their SQL Server workloads from Windows to Linux or vice versa. We do not recommend running in this configuration in a steady state as there is no cluster manager for cross-platform orchestration, but it is the fastest solution for a cross-platform migration with minimum downtime.</p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/clip_image0101.png"><img title="clip_image010" style="padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;padding-right: 0px;border-width: 0px" border="0" alt="clip_image010" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/clip_image010_thumb1.png" width="1186" height="623" /></a></p> <p><i>Fig. 3 Cross-Platform Live Migration Using Distributed Availability Groups</i></p> <p>Please visit our <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-business-continuity-dr">reference documentation on business continuity</a> for SQL Server on Linux for more specifics on how integration with Pacemaker clustering is achieved in all supported OS flavors and end-to-end functional samples.</p> <p>Today’s announcement marks the first preview of new Always On Availability Groups capabilities: Linux platform support for HADR as well as new scenarios like creating a cluster-independent group of replicated databases for offloading read-only traffic. Availability Groups are available on all platforms and OS versions that SQL Server v.Next is running on. In upcoming releases, we are going to enhance these capabilities by providing high-availability solutions for containerized environments as well as tooling support for an integrated experience. Stay tuned!</p> <h2>Get started</h2> <p>You can get started with many of these capabilities today:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-vnext-including-Linux">Download latest preview of SQL Server v.Next on Linux and Windows</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-business-continuity-dr">Business Continuity for SQL Server on Linux guide</a></li> </ul> <h4></h4> <h2>Learn more</h2> <ul> <li>Read <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/">detailed documentation</a>.</li> <li><a href="https://info.microsoft.com/sql-server-on-linux-town-hall-high-availability-register.html">Register</a> for next Engineering Town Hall with focus on High Availability and Disaster Recovery in SQL Server on Linux.</li> <li><a href="https://helsinki.catalysis.com/registration.aspx">Sign up to stay informed</a> about new SQL Server on Linux developments.</li> <li>If you have a workload ready to run on SQL Server v.Next, sign up for <a href="http://sqlservervnexteap.azurewebsites.net/">SQL Early Adoption Program (EAP)</a>.</li> </ul> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Microsoft&#8217;s SQL Platform continues to lead the market with advanced data security</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/02/10/microsofts-sql-platform-continues-to-lead-the-market-with-advanced-data-security/</link> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2017 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[SQL Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/?p=18947</guid> <description><![CDATA[This post was authored by Rohan Kumar, General Manager, Database Systems. Securing customer data while maintaining the highest levels of privacy have always been top priorities for Microsoft and the SQL organization. As a result, SQL Server, which also powers Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Data Warehouse, continues to be one of the most... <a aria-label="read more about Microsoft&#8217;s SQL Platform continues to lead the market with advanced data security" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/02/10/microsofts-sql-platform-continues-to-lead-the-market-with-advanced-data-security/" class="read-more">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This post was authored by Rohan Kumar, General Manager, Database Systems.<em></em><em></em></p> <p>Securing customer data while maintaining the highest levels of privacy have always been top priorities for Microsoft and the SQL organization. As a result, SQL Server, which also powers Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Data Warehouse, continues to be one of the most secure Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) on the market.[1]</p> <p>At the RSA Conference last year, we talked about our commitment to security and privacy. I want to share a few examples of industry-leading security features we shipped since then and update you on our plans to deliver the highest levels of security across the SQL Database product lineup.</p> <p><strong>Announcing the April general availability of Azure SQL Database Threat Detection for proactive monitoring and alerting of suspicious database activities and potential vulnerabilities.</strong></p> <p>Using machine learning, <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-threat-detection-get-started">SQL Database Threat Detection</a> continuously monitors and profiles application behavior, and detects suspicious database activities to identify unusual and potentially harmful attempts to access, breach or exploit sensitive data in databases. When suspicious activity is detected, security officers and designated administrators get immediate notification or can view the alerts in the <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/security-center/">Azure Security Center</a> along with recommendations for how to mitigate the threats. SQL Database Threat Detection can detect potential vulnerabilities and SQL injection attacks, as well as anomalous activities such as data access from unusual locations or by unfamiliar principals.</p> <p>Frans Lytzen, CTO of New Orbit, UK, is early adopter of SQL Database Threat Detection, said “<em>I&#8217;ve seen it detect potential SQL injection attacks […]. This is a useful feature to potentially detect both external and internal attacks […]. You have nothing to lose by switching it on.</em>” SQL Database Threat Detection is simple to configure via the Azure portal and requires no modifications to your existing T-SQL code or client applications. Fernando Sola, Cloud Technology Consultant at HSI adds, “Thanks to Azure SQL Database Threat Detection, we were able to detect and fix vulnerabilities to SQL injection attacks and prevent potential threats to our database. I was very impressed with how simple it was to enable Threat Detection using the Azure portal.”</p> <p><strong>State-of-the-art protection of sensitive data in flight, at rest and during query processing with <em>Always Encrypted</em> in SQL Server 2016 and Azure SQL Database has been generally available since July 2016.</strong></p> <p><a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt163865.aspx">Always Encrypted</a> is an industry-first feature that offers unparalleled data security against breaches involving the theft of critical data. For example, with Always Encrypted, customers’ credit card numbers are stored encrypted in the database at all times, even during query processing, allowing decryption at the point of use by authorized staff or applications that need to process that data. Encryption keys are managed outside of the database for maximum safety and separation of duties. Only authorized users with access to the encryption keys can see unencrypted data while using applications.</p> <p>Financial Fabric, a global provider of big data analytics to hedge funds and institutional investors, uses Always Encrypted to ensure that sensitive data is encrypted from the moment it is ingested in Azure SQL Database until it is accessed by authorized end users. Paul Stirpe, CTO of Financial Fabric states, “<em>With Always Encrypted in Azure SQL Database, analysts can aggregate information, work on client data and positions, and provide numbers without revealing highly sensitive, identifiable information.</em>” You can read more about how Financial Fabric is transforming hedge fund management with Azure and SQL Database <a href="https://customers.microsoft.com/en-US/story/transforming-hedge-fund-management-with-new-business-models-and-data-platforms-on-azure">here</a>.</p> <p>Always Encrypted is simple to use, transparent, and ready to protect your data.  Client drivers have been enhanced to work in conjunction with SQL Server and Azure SQL Database to decrypt and encrypt data at the point of use, requiring only minimal modifications to your applications.</p> <p>SQL <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-dynamic-data-masking-get-started">Dynamic Data Masking</a> is another security capability that’s built right into the relational engine. Itlimits sensitive data exposure by masking the data when accessed by non-privileged users or applications. Any data in the result set of a query over masked database fields is obfuscated on the fly while the data in the database remains unchanged.  SQL’s Dynamic Data Masking requires no changes to the application and is simple to configure. What’s more, for users of Azure SQL Database, Dynamic Data Masking can automatically discover potentially sensitive data and suggest the appropriate masks to be applied.</p> <p>We have also delivered single sign-on for Azure SQL Database and SQL DW with <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-aad-authentication">Azure Active Directory Authentication</a> which was made generally available in August 2016, and customers can now preview secure, compliant management of the TDE encryption keys using <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/key-vault/">Azure Key Vault</a>.</p> <p>Securing customer data doesn’t end with the features we ship. Security and privacy are built right into our products, beginning with the <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sdl/">Security Development Lifecycle (SDL)</a> that focuses on security at every step &#8211; from the initial planning, to launch, to making sure the service and our infrastructure are continuously monitored and updated to stay ahead of new threats.</p> <p>For example, our scanning and threat protection tools run continuously against our service to look for viruses, ensure software is properly patched, and identify potential vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. “Just-in-time” access management enables us to operate our service with no standing access to production servers and their databases. Instead, employees are required to request access which is reviewed and granted for the narrowest possible scope and limited time only. In addition, much of what we do internally has found its way back into customer facing products, Azure SQL Database Threat Detection is one example. I also encourage you to read our whitepaper on <a href="https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=808242&amp;clcid=0x409">protecting data and privacy in the Azure cloud</a> to learn about how we work hard every day to earn your trust.</p> <p>Going forward we want to dramatically simplify security to ensure all of our customers can implement and operate an effective, defense-in-depth strategy for their sensitive data independent of their level of expertise. For example, we believe that securing a SQL database should be as simple as identifying the desired protection level (e.g., High Business Impact) and applying the appropriate policy to secure the database. Microsoft’s SQL Server platform will do the rest, including identifying which data is sensitive and which features are needed to secure the data. While the database is in use, it will continuously monitor for changes in the configuration and any unusual activities that may be signs of malicious attacks.</p> <p>Although this remains a vision for now, we continue to invest in features that combine machine learning and adaptive behavior with state-of-the-art security and privacy protection to get us closer to our goals.</p> <p>Our customers are taking notice, as voiced by Paul Stirpe from Financial Fabric who said <em>“[… the]</em> <em>new technology that has been rolled out by Microsoft is a game-changer. Cloud security has fundamentally shifted as of now.</em>”</p> <p>We believe our vision of the <em>intelligent, always secure database</em> will democratize security in the same way relational query processing democratized data management in the 1970’s by enabling anyone who could write SQL queries to manage and access large databases.</p> <hr /> <p>[1] Based on vulnerabilities reported in the NIST National Vulnerability Database (nvd.nist.gov) for the last 6 years.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>ODBC Driver 13.1 for Linux Released</title> <link>https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/02/08/odbc-driver-13-1-for-linux-released/</link> <pubDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2017 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[SQL Server Team]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/?p=18905</guid> <description><![CDATA[This post is authored by Meet Bhagdev, Program Manager, Microsoft Hi all. We are delighted to share the Production Ready Release of the Microsoft ODBC Driver 13.1 for Linux (Ubuntu, RedHat and SUSE). The new driver enables access to SQL Server, Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL DW from any C/C++ application on Linux. Added... <a aria-label="read more about ODBC Driver 13.1 for Linux Released" href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/02/08/odbc-driver-13-1-for-linux-released/" class="read-more">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This post is authored by Meet Bhagdev, Program Manager, Microsoft</p> <p>Hi all. We are delighted to share the Production Ready Release of the Microsoft ODBC Driver 13.1 for Linux (Ubuntu, RedHat and SUSE). The new driver enables access to SQL Server, Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL DW from any C/C++ application on Linux.</p> <h2>Added</h2> <ul> <li><b>BCP API support </b> <ul> <li>You can use functions through the ODBC driver as described <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms130922.aspx">here</a> on Linux.</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>Support for user-defined KeyStoreProvider for Always Encrypted</b> <ul> <li>You can now user-defined/created AE <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt146393.aspx">Column Master Key </a>keystore providers. Check out code samples and more information <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt637351(v=sql.110).aspx">here</a>.</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>Ubuntu 16.10 support</b> <ul> <li>Developed a package Ubuntu 16.10 for an apt-get experience.</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>Dependency on the platform unixODBC Driver Manager instead of the custom unixODBC-utf16 Driver Manager</b> <ul> <li>This avoids conflicts with applications/software that depends on the platform unixODBC Driver Manager.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h2>Fixed</h2> <ul> <li><b>msqobcsql.h (Connect issues 3115331, 3114970) </b> <ul> <li>Missing definitions for AE, BCP and SQL Server specific types were added</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>TRUST_SERVER_CERTIFICATE connection attribute is always yes (Connect 3116639) </b> <ul> <li>Setting the TRUST_SERVER_CERTIFICATE connection attribute to anything other than yes failed to set the attribute value. This has been corrected.</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>Fixed Connect issue 2693027 — Memory Leak </b> <ul> <li>We detected this issue independently of the bug report using valgrind. The memory leak has been fixed.</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>Driver failure when connecting with more than 1,024 handles</b> <ul> <li>Switched away from libio select. Driver now supports (theoretical) handle limit of 64K or platform max.</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>Intermittent commlinkfailure when using Azure DW </b> <ul> <li>In some high-latency scenarios over an encrypted channel, the driver could fail unexpectedly. This has been resolved.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h2>Install the ODBC Driver for Linux on Ubuntu 15.10</h2> <p><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo su </span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | apt-key add &#8211;</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">curl https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/15.10/prod.list &gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-release.list</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">exit</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo apt-get update</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y apt-get install msodbcsql=13.1.4.0-1</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo apt-get install unixodbc-dev</span></p> <h2>Install the ODBC Driver for Linux on Ubuntu 16.04</h2> <p><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo su </span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | apt-key add &#8211;</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">curl https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/16.04/prod.list &gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-release.list</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">exit</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo apt-get update</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y apt-get install msodbcsql=13.1.4.0-1</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo apt-get install unixodbc-dev</span></p> <h2>Install the ODBC Driver for Linux on Ubuntu 16.10</h2> <p><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo su </span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | apt-key add &#8211;</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">curl https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/16.10/prod.list &gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-release.list</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">exit</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo apt-get update</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y apt-get install msodbcsql=13.1.4.0-1</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo apt-get install unixodbc-dev</span></p> <h2>Install the ODBC Driver for Linux on RedHat 6</h2> <p><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo su</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">curl https://packages.microsoft.com/config/rhel/6/prod.repo &gt; /etc/yum.repos.d/mssql-release.repo</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">exit</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo yum remove unixODBC-utf16 unixODBC-utf16-devel #to avoid conflicts</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y yum install msodbcsql-13.1.4.0-1</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo yum install unixODBC-devel</span></p> <h2>Install the ODBC Driver for Linux on RedHat 7</h2> <p><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo su</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">curl https://packages.microsoft.com/config/rhel/7/prod.repo &gt; /etc/yum.repos.d/mssql-release.repo</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">exit</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo yum remove unixODBC-utf16 unixODBC-utf16-devel #to avoid conflicts</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y yum install msodbcsql-13.1.4.0-1</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo yum install unixODBC-devel</span></p> <h2>Install the ODBC Driver for SLES 12</h2> <p><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo su </span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">zypper ar https://packages.microsoft.com/config/sles/12/prod.repo </span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">zypper update</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">exit </span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y zypper install msodbcsql-13.1.4.0-1</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">sudo zypper install unixODBC-devel</span></p> <h2>Try Our Sample</h2> <p>Once you install the driver that runs on a supported Linux distro, you can use this C sample to connect to SQL Server/Azure SQL DB/Azure SQL DW. To download the sample and get started, follow these steps:</p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">wget &#8220;https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Microsoft/sql-server-samples/master/samples/tutorials/c/linux/sample_c_linux.c&#8221;</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">gcc sample_c_linux.c -o sample_c_linux -lodbc -w #make sure you change the servername, username and password in the connections string</span><br /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New'">./sample_c_linux</span></p> <p>If you installed the driver using the manual instructions found <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh568454(v=sql.110).aspx">here</a>, you will have to manually uninstall the ODBC Driver and the unixODBC Driver Manager to use the deb/rpm packages. If you have any questions on how to manually uninstall, feel free to leave a comment below.</p> <p>Please fill bugs/questions/issues on our <a href="https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/Feedback">Issues </a>page. We welcome contributions/questions/issues of any kind. Happy programming!</p> <p>Meet Bhagdev (<a>[email protected]</a>)</p> <p><a href="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/clip_image0024.png"><img title="clip_image002[4]" style="padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;padding-right: 0px;border: 0px" border="0" alt="clip_image002[4]" src="https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/2017/02/clip_image0024_thumb.png" width="868" height="483" /></a></p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>