Microsoft SQL Server has been a part of the enterprise database landscape since SQL Server 7 arrived in 1998, and has evolved into the relational and BI platform of choice by businesses around the globe. The performance and full feature set of SQL Server has been widely recognized by the business community and it is viewed as a powerful weapon in their database and business intelligence arsenal. SQL Server brings numerous benefits, and central to their successful implementation, is a thorough understanding of the technology, both current and new.
We have written the book that we, as working DBAs and developers, would want to read. This is the book we always wanted to buy, but could never find in the bookstore. When Packt Publishing initially approached us with the idea of a SQL Server 2012 book, we discussed the issue of "What's New..." books always being padded out with too much old stuff we already knew. They agreed to let us write this - a SQL Server book that contains the new features, and only the new features, in SQL Server 2012.
This book was written with the deliberate intent of giving you a competitive advantage by helping you quickly learn and understand the new features of SQL Server 2012. Most readers will already have an established knowledge of SQL Server and will want to update their 2008/2008 R2 knowledge swiftly, and with the least pain. We understand the importance of keeping up-to-date with current technologies, both in terms of your career development, and implementing new features to give your employer a competitive advantage.
In the modern time-pressured world, it can be difficult to find adequate time to learn new skills. We have done our very best to provide you with a concise and useful reference for SQL Server 2012, and we hope you find this book worthy of a permanent position on your desk.
Chapter 1, Installing SQL Server 2012, shows you the differences between the new editions of SQL Server 2012. A step-by-step guide will walk you through installing the core database engine and advanced options. You will receive advice along the way, to help you maximize the performance of your installation.
Chapter 2, SQL Server Administration, will make you familiar with the new look SQL Server Management Studio, and then you will discover spatial indexes and columnstore indexes. You will also delve into contained databases and Master Data Services, and learn about the new dynamic management views.
Chapter 3, Transact SQL, teaches you how to write queries using the new string and datetime functions inside real world examples. You will explore the error handling clauses, and see how the new FileTable table type builds on existing filestream functionality. You will be formally introduced to SQL Server Data Tools, your new home for SQL development, and learn how to use the new analytical functions.
Chapter 4, Analysis Services, covers the three business intelligence semantic models, the differences between them, and also how to create them. You will discover how to utilize resource usage reporting, geek out with extended events, and learn how to work around the string store constraint, using scalable string storage.
Chapter 5, Reporting Services, shows you which features have been deprecated in SQL Server Reporting Services 2012. You will learn how to use the new Excel and Word Renderers, and how to set up Data Alerts.
Chapter 6, Integration Services, introduces you to the new SSIS catalog, the SSIS Admin security role, and how to upgrade from SQL Server 2005 and 2008. You will learn about shared connection managers, deployment models and package editor enhancements. Furthermore you will look at data taps and Change Data Capture.
Chapter 7, Data Quality Services, explains why you would want to use Data Quality Services, and how to install and configure it. You will learn how to create a data quality project and cleanse data using real world examples. Furthermore, you will gain knowledge DQS security issues.
Chapter 8, AlwaysOn, will investigate AlwaysOn Availability Groups and their restrictions, and will teach you how to create an availability group in your own environment. You will learn about the advantages of AlwaysOn Availability Groups compared to other high availability solutions.
Chapter 9, Distributed Replay, will make you familiar with the new terminology and the components that constitute Distributed Replay. A hands-on example will help you understand how to install and configure it. You will capture a trace, preprocess it, replay it and monitor its progress, and then cancel it.
Chapter 10, Big Data and the Cloud, introduces you to SQL Azure and how to set up and migrate to a SQL Azure database. You will learn about big data platforms, discover the Hive database and be introduced to the Sqoop connector. Finally, you will learn about Microsoft's up-and-coming Hadoop release for Windows and SQL Server.
You need the following:
Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows Server 2012, or Windows 7 SP1.
SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition (Evaluation Edition or Developer Edition will do).
A link to download SQL Server 2012 Evaluation Edition is provided in Chapter 1.
This concise reference is for database administrators, SQL Server developers and BI professionals. Anyone who is familiar with SQL Server 2008 R2 and needs to make the jump to the latest version with the shortest learning curve will find this book useful.
In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.
Code words in text are shown as follows: "We can include other contexts through the use of the include directive."
A block of code is set as follows:
CREATE TABLE #Customer ( FirstName varchar(30) NOT NULL, MiddleName varchar(30) NULL, LastName varchar(30) NOT NULL )
When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:
[default]
exten => s,1,Dial(Zap/1|30)
exten => s,2,Voicemail(u100)
exten => s,102,Voicemail(b100)
exten => i,1,Voicemail(s0)Any command-line input or output is written as follows:
# cp /usr/src/asterisk-addons/configs/cdr_mysql.conf.sample
/etc/asterisk/cdr_mysql.conf
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in the text like this: " The Distributed Replay Controller server reads transactions from the intermediate file".
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