Editorials

SQL in the Cloud – How We Will Get There…

Featured Article(s)
Troubleshooting SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services problems (Part 5)
In this article, Alexander Chigrik explains some problems that you can have when you work with SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services. He also tells how you can resolve these problems.

Dig Into Your SQL Servers
Getting detailed information to help you make informed decisions about how to tune, tweak and run your SQL Servers can turn a troubleshooting all-nighter into a simple afternoon spent addressing the root cause of a problem. Dig into your systems, see the code that’s causing issues, use the history browser function to see trends and look for points in time with issues in common. Check out Idera’s SQL Diagnostic Manager – these are just the beginning of what you’ll start understanding about your servers. Get more information here.

Webcast Today – Register Now
Fault Tolerance Options – Overview of features and techniques
This webcast is a presentation by expert Ted Malone at the SSWUG SQL Server Virtual Conference earlier this year. Learn about your options, different features available and how they impact your ability to recover and keep your options open for getting systems back online and updated in case of issues. Sponsored by: Dell/EqualLogic (www.equallogic.com)

> Register Now
> Webcast date: 10/29/2008 at 12:00pm Noon Pacific

The Cloud…
I mentioned on Monday that this was the week of Microsoft’s PDC conference – they’ve been very busy rolling out the Microsoft Azure – and other cloud services and infrastructure. It’s been really quite amazing looking at what they’re doing and where they’d like to see things going. Several times we’ve talked here in this column about the cloud computing services – not just Microsoft’s, but others in general. Specifically, I’ve asked about security, the smarts of centralizing stuff "out there" and so-on.

Well, the new Microsoft features and approach are, indeed, comprehensive. For developers, the tools to build and deploy applications to the cloud are on the verge of being nearly transparent. You develop the code, publish the project and voilà! It’s available and ready to go. Connectors from your local Active Directory will propagate permissions, other features will work to integrate your local networks with the cloud environment and so-on.

To the end-user, too, the experience will be a non-event. It’ll be nearly impossible to tell where things live and where they execute from simply an application stance. It’s not like you’ll have to fire up the application differently or that it will necessarily look different. The upside is that scalability, reliability, accessibility all should gain based on the new environment. With the infrastructure to simply update your needs for processing power (add more… disk, processing, etc…), it should make answering the call for increasing demands, flash crowds and so-on a problem that you no longer would have to worry about.

The PDC presentations and especially the "big picture" keynotes hint at (OK, more than "hint") a major ground-swell change for Microsoft’s tools and overall direction. Sure, they’ve talked about virtualization and we’ve seen smaller examples of this (Microsoft Mesh, Live services and the like) but this integration of full developer tools and the connectors between local and remote environments mean that building and deploying the applications may be becoming a reality.

I have a lot to learn here – and a fair bit of skepticism on some points (data security, data "ownership" and conspiracy-theory-type issues) but I have to say, this is a major shirt and clear direction change. SQL Services that include reporting, analysis services and much more. Easy deployment and thoughtful integration of security, identity management and support for what amounts to being a fundamental foundation for building applications.

I thought it was interesting what was said at the very start. (I’m paraphrasing): Demonstrating an operating system, a foundation, is very hard. It’s just there, supporting things that you want to be able to do. This fact was pretty clear – and I can’t wait to move beyond the demonstrations and begin working with the materials and seeing what is possible, seeing what people start deploying and what we all learn from these projects.

More tomorrow on the whole hiring and management studio discussion.

It’s Almost Time!
The virtual conference is just days away (starts next Wednesday) – 100’s and 100’s are already registered and ready to go. Make sure you register right away. Don’t forget too, you can add or extend a SSWUG membership for only $30 (save nearly $50!). Check out the SQL Server, Business Intelligence, SharePoint and .NET Developer areas and take a look at the 40 speakers, 120 sessions. We’ve worked very hard to make this an amazing experience and can’t wait to see you online.

But you need to register today. 😉 It only takes a minute.

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