Marcin Policht

In recent years, Microsoft has fully embraced the open source paradigm. One of the more prominent examples of this trend was providing the ability to host SQL Server 2017 instances on Linux, including running Docker-based SQL Server images (available directly from Microsoft Container Registry) on Kubernetes clusters. The release of SQL Server 2019 further extends […]

Cosmos DB constitutes one of the Azure foundational services, which ensures its availability in every existing and newly provisioned Azure region. It delivers a wide range of advantages over traditional SQL and NoSQL-based data stores, including, for example, support for multiple consistency levels, latency and throughput guarantees, policy-based geo-fencing, automatic scaling, and multi-master replication model. […]

Data imports represent some of the more commonly performed database management tasks. When importing data into Azure SQL Database, you can leverage a number of traditional SQL Server data import techniques. In this article, you will get an overview of these techniques and learn about the cloud-specific aspects of importing. The most straightforward methods that […]

In a recent article (Using Azure Resource Manager Templates To Provision Azure SQL Databases) published on this site, a sample Azure Resource Manager template was presented that provisions a new logical server hosting a single Azure SQL Database instance. Template-based provisioning simplifies deployment and promotes principles of DevOps and Infrastructure as Code, making it the […]

Azure provides a number of different methods that can be used in order to implement and configure its resources. Each of the methods differs to some extent in regard to functionality and intended use cases. The Azure portal offers friendly, intuitive interface but lacks automation capabilities. Scripting with Azure PowerShell or Azure CLI facilitates automation […]

Transitioning to the Platform-as-a-Service model typically implies relinquishing certain degree of control over your computing environment. One of the primary concerns related to this transition is diminished level of transparency providing insights into performance of cloud-resident workloads. Fortunately, with Azure SQL Database, you have a wide range of options that address this concern, allowing you […]

Information protection becomes one of the dominant factors that drive modern database design and implementation. This becomes particularly evident when operating in a cloud computing environment, with Azure SQL Database serving as one of prime examples of this trend. Microsoft delivers relevant features by leveraging several different security-related Azure services. In this article, we will […]

Azure SQL Database offers a straightforward approach to controlling its performance through vertical scaling. Despite its simplicity, scaling up has obvious pricing implications and, while it is an online operation, it might result in rollback of in-flight transactions. If you are looking for a supplemental approach to enhancing performance, then you might want to consider […]

In a recent article published on this forum, we have described a range of disaster recovery capabilities that facilitate business continuity of Azure SQL Database deployments. While business continuity is of paramount significance, it is important to keep in mind that high availability tends to be even more relevant. Site-wide or region-wide disasters, while undoubtedly […]

In one of our earlier articles published on this forum, we have presented a range of capabilities that enhance business continuity of Azure SQL Database deployments. That article is, at this point, over a year old, which constitutes a rather long time when you consider the rapid rate at which cloud technologies change. Since then, […]

Global distribution of updatable data stores is one of the more challenging goals that software designers and architects have been struggling with over the years. Addressing this challenge has become increasingly pressing as the rapid growth of cloud technologies increased the need for deployments capable of spanning multiple geographical areas. Azure Cosmos DB facilitates this […]

In recent years, technology landscape has undergone dramatic changes, driven primarily by cloud computing and a continuously increasing level of attention dedicated to security, privacy, and compliance. As recent revelations related to improper use of consumer data by social network providers and research firms have shown, this attention is well warranted. Similarly, surging numbers of […]