Book Image

SQL Server 2017 Administrator's Guide

4 (1)
Book Image

SQL Server 2017 Administrator's Guide

4 (1)

Overview of this book

Take advantage of the real power of SQL Server 2017 with all its new features, in addition to covering core database administration tasks. This book will give you a competitive advantage by helping you quickly learn how to design, manage, and secure your database solution. You will learn how to set up your SQL Server and configure new (and existing) environments for optimal use. After covering the designing aspect, the book delves into performance-tuning aspects by teaching you how to effectively use indexes. The book will also teach you about certain choices that need to be made about backups and how to implement a rock-solid security policy and keep your environment healthy. Finally, you will learn about the techniques you should use when things go wrong, and other important topics, such as migration, upgrading, and consolidation, are covered in detail. Integration with Azure is also covered in depth. Whether you are an administrator or thinking about entering the field, this book will provide you with all the skills you need to successfully create, design, and deploy databases using SQL Server 2017.
Table of Contents (13 chapters)

Understanding SQL Server patching

Once you install SQL Server, you need to watch for future updates released by Microsoft. You can recognize what updates were installed to your server by checking the build number of the SQL Server. You can find the build number in the SQL Server Management Studio as you can see in the following screenshot or via the SELECT @@VERSION command. There are several types of updates released for SQL Server:

  • Service packs
  • Cumulative updates
  • Security updates

Service packs are usually the largest update option for your SQL Server. They frequently include updates released by more cumulative updates and should be tested more thoroughly regarding performance and stability of the system. It's also important to keep your environment with recent service packs due to system support by Microsoft. Service packs not only fix issues, but often also bring new...