I had a client ask me to write a PowerShell script (for an Azure Automation runbook) to automate the creation of firewall rules for an Azure SQL Database. As part of this process, I was planning on having to validate the IP addresses (a valid IP address is of the format x.x.x.x where x is […]
Author: jdanton1
How Do You Shrink Your Azure SQL Database?
In the early days of Azure SQL Database (ne SQL Azure) we had size limits that were minuscule–I vaguely remember 5 and 10 GB, but it could have been smaller. Back then space was at a premium. In 2021, we have hyperscale that allows us to have an Azure SQL Database of up to 100 […]
Do You Even Tag, Bro?
Sorry for the clickbaity title. One of the things I hated most about working in corporate IT, was the persistent, never ending discussions around server naming standards. I once flew to Switzerland to spend 16 hours in a room full of dudes (it’s always a room full of dudes) discussing each of the 16 characters […]
Dear Microsoft—Help Us Help You
One of the things that is so “fun” about working with Microsoft Azure, is the near constant rate of change in the platform. I did put fun in quotation marks, but I really mean it—if I had to work on the same things every day my job would become quite boring. Part of this constant […]
Redgate Bought PASS’s Assets—What Does This Mean?
Yesterday, you probably received an email from PASS and/or Redgate stating that PASS’s assets had been acquired from Redgate. For the health of the Microsoft data and analytics community this may seem like a win, but in reality, it creates many more questions. The first of which, is how was the auction held, and to […]
Azure Cloud Shell–Do You Use It?
One of the challenges of being a consultant is having to work with a number of clients, and having different login credentials and accounts. In the early days of Azure, this was exceptionally painful, but over time the experience of using the portal with multiple identities and connecting to Azure tenants has gotten much easier. […]
Community Matters–Why I’m Running for the PASS Board of Directors
I’ve written a lot about my thoughts on PASS this year. While I understand some of my posts could have been considered inflammatory, I wrote them from a deep position of love for the SQL Server and broader Microsoft Data Platform Community, and I decided to run for the Board of Directors because I wanted […]
Azure SQL DB Extended Events and Cross-Tenancy
Creating an Extended Events session (as well as viewing events) in Azure SQL Database is slightly different than a typical SQL Server. Since you don’t have access to the file system of the server where your database live, you need to configure a storage account target for persistence of your extended event sessions. You can […]
PASS Pro: You Want Us To Do What for Free?
Note: I’m running for the PASS board of directors. Candidates are not allowed to disparage PASS, and I’m of the opinion that I’m not disparaging PASS in this post, but if anyone thinks I am, please let me know in the comments. One topic I’m always yelling about on Twitter and to any community speakers […]
Building a Data as a Service Platform on Azure SQL Database
One of the benefits of cloud computing is flexibility and scale—I don’t need to procure hardware or licenses as you get new customers. This flexibility and platform as a service offerings like Azure SQL Database allow a lot of flexibility in what independent software vendors or companies selling access can provide to their customers. However, […]