Scripting Custom SQL Server Clones for Database Development and Testing

Phil Factor shows how to automatically apply T-SQL modification scripts during image and clone creation. Using this technique you can, for example, apply data masking to all clones, or customize an individual clone to work on a special variant or branch version, or set up instance level objects like Agent jobs or linked servers. Read more

Deploying and Reverting Clones for Database Development and Testing

Demonstrating how to use PowerShell automation to create a suite of clones, for testing or development work, with the ability to revert a clone to its original state, instantly, ready for the next set of tests to begin. Read more

Monitoring SQL Server Security: What’s Required?

If we know how a database is likely to be attacked, we can arrange our lines of defense, and install the monitors required to detect any attempts. However, some types of attack are difficult to imagine, so we also need our monitoring tool to be adaptable, so that it can collect a more diffuse collection of metrics, and then help us determine the reason for any sudden change in the patterns of access . Read more

How to create and refresh development and test databases automatically using SQL Clone and SQL Toolbelt

A PowerShell automation script to build a SQL Server database from source control, seed it with dummy data, document it, and then deploy copies to any number of test and development servers. Read more

Scaling SQL Monitor to Large SQL Server Estates

Tony Davis describes the features and capabilities of SQL Monitor that allow it to scale smoothly to monitor a growing estate of servers and databases, while still providing a single, simple dashboard that gives the team all of the essential SQL Server metrics and alerts, establishes baselines, and detects trends in behavior. Read more

Using the SQL Monitor Estate Pages

Kathi Kellenberger introduces the new Estate monitoring pages in SQL Monitor 9, and explains how they will help DBAs monitor and safeguard the security, stability and availability of all servers in their care. Read more

A Database Developer’s Guide to SQL Clone

Phil Factor explains how SQL Clone works, and its multiple benefits when used in daily development and testing work, as well as for other tasks such as training staff to use a new application. Read more

Avoid running out of Disk Space ever again using Redgate Monitor

SQL Monitor not only collects all the disk and database growth tracking data you need, automatically, but also analyses trends in this data to predict accurately when either a disk volume will run out of free space, or a database file will need to grow. Read more

Monitoring the Application with SQL Monitor: Website Activity

Using a PowerShell script that collects log data from a web server, plus a SQL Monitor custom metric, Phil Factor offers a way to check for suspicious website errors and unusual patterns of activity, right alongside your database monitoring. Read more

Using a Variable-length Datatype Without Explicit Length: The Whys and Wherefores (BP007/8)

If you declare a variable-length string , or coerce a string, without specifying its length, you can fall foul of ‘silent’ string truncation. Some developers resort to using the (MAX) specification, which is a mistake too. Phil Factor explains the dangers and then offers a workaround for the problem, when you're importing text and simply don't know the correct length of each string. Read more

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