This video focuses on accelerated Disk Optimization and improved productivity with SQL Query Tuning.

Video created Dec. 18, 2006.

• Fast Compression Backups – Fast Compression is Quest’s patent-pending backup technology which significantly reduces backup times, improves database recoverable, and automatically reduces a database’s backup footprint by up to 85 percent over and above the backup compression algorithms already in the product.
• Network Resiliency – Backups will still succeed after network interruptions. User can also customize the number of retries and wait period for a finer level of control.
• Easier Restores with Point in Time selection – Restore wizard’s time slider lets user choose exact point in time to recover data.
• Improved Double-Click Restore – 4GB limitation eliminated.
• OLR (object-level recovery) and Log Reader support more funky SQL Server 2008 data types – DATETIMEOFFSET, DATETIME2, DATE, TIME, HIERARCHYID, GEOMETRY, and GEOGRAPHY are now supported.
• SmartCleanup – Intelligently remove backups according to a user-supplied retention policy without affecting backup set integrity.
• Maintenance Plans reinforced – Import/Export Plans, Copy/Paste Tasks and Sub-Plans, Wildcards and Regular Expressions supported for easier database selections.
• New Maintenance Plan Cleanup History Task – Options to delete backup history, log shipping history, job and maintenance plan history, and more…
• Updated documentation – New Install and Log Shipping Guides and references to online video content.

Fightin’ For Fast Compression Feedback!

LiteSpeed for SQL Server’s patent-pending Fast Compression (formerly SmartDiff) technology reduces backup size substantially for huge storage savings. It also decreases backup times significantly—from hours to minutes. Are you familiar with this technology? Are you taking full advantage of it?

We’d like your feedback. Tell how much disk space you’re saving and how much faster your backups are when using Fast Compression. Please share your comments with us in the LiteSpeed Forum at our SQL Server community.

We’d like to offer you the latest information to help you get the most out of your investment in LiteSpeed® for SQL Server. Most of these resources are also available through SupportLink, our customer support portal.

LiteSpeed Video Tutorials

Learn LiteSpeed for SQL Server tips and tricks by viewing our free recorded videos online. You’ll see the solution in action and discover how to:

• Determine the most appropriate backup options for you
• Query backup files without a full restore
• Recover just one table or repair a dropped procedure
• And much more!

Go to LiteSpeed tutorials.

LiteSpeed for SQL Server – Key Documentation

LiteSpeed’s latest product resources can be found via the links below:

• Installation Guide 6.0 – New
• Configure Log Shipping 6.0 – New
• New SupportLink Product Information page
• Product Lifecycle
• Installation Guide 5.2
• SmartDiff Quick Start Guide 5.2

And just an FYI, but you’ll need to register on the Support website to reach most of those resources.

SQL Server Community Sites

Please join our SQL Server communities today to get the latest product information and find helpful resources. You can also participate in discussions with other community members as well as the Quest product team.

• SQLServer.Quest.com: LiteSpeed forum
• SQL Server Blog
• SQLServerPedia

Questions or Comments

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about this information, contact us.

A support case can be logged using our case management tool or see the Contact Support page for other contact methods available on SupportLink.

Please do not respond directly to this e-mail notification. You can elect to stop receiving product notifications by changing the ”Product Notification” setting under Edit User Profile on SupportLink.

I’ve been trying hard to get more videos out the door about the SQL Server tools from Quest Software (my employer).  I’d sent a new one over to the program marketing team a while back, but it’s not showing up in the Coffee Break Bytes section like it should.  These little videos show a single feature in detail, usually taking no more than 5 minutes to watch in their entirety.

In the meanwhile, check out the excellent video series here.  And the blogs are really good too, available on the interwebs here.

Thinking about cloud computing? 

Well, there aren’t many tools out there that will make your life easier than Toad for Cloud Databases.  As is most cloud technology, this particular tool is still in beta.  But there’s no better time to help set the direction and features of a tool with as outstanding a record as Toad.  Get the details and download the beta here.

And if you like providing feedback to the development team, don’t overlook the IdeaPond where you can provide your own ideas and vote on others that are already posted.  (Currently targeted towards Oracle users, but I say let’s crash that party)!

Enjoy!

-Kevin

 Twitter @kekline

The region’s best Azure experts will teach you how to work in the cloud through training, discussion, review of real scenarios, and hands on labs. Snacks and drinks will be provided; however, you’re advised to bring an extension cord and to you to make your own lunch arrangements prior to the event.

For more information please visit www.azurebootcamp.com.

The Best Dang Design Book for SQL Server Professionals - EVER!

I thought I’d liven things up a bit with a little contest.  The rules are simple:

A. If you don’t follow me on Twitter, then follow me by clicking here.

B. If you already follow me on Twitter, then tweet the details for tonight’s event.

C. Every new follower or current follower who retweeted the details and then attends the event tonight will get a free ebook for Professional SQL Server 2008 Design and Implementation by my buddy and fellow Nashvillian Louis Davidson (blog | twitter).

As the fine print usually says, “Must be present to win”.  But just to liven things up a little bit extra, I’ll pull several names from the hat of all the folks who were NOT present but followed or retweeted the event details between now and 6:30 PM EST tonight.

Thanks and good luck!

-Kev

So I’m going to try to better, henceforth and forever more!  Two entries ago, I talked about the The 8 Characteristics of Exceptional Leaders.  This month, I’m drilling into the characteristic on that list that generated the most controversy in emails and messages – “Absolute Integrity”.  Many people took issue with the concept that integrity can be learned, instead believing that integrity is innate, like a sense of humor or a dancer’s rhythm.

What do you think?  Read the article here and weigh in with your opinion! (Be forewarned – the PASS website is free, but does require registration.  And I encourage you to do so since there are many other great resources there to take advantage of.)

Enjoy,

-Kevin

Twitter @kekline

An Osborne Executive portable computer, from 1982, and an iPhone, released 2007. The Executive weighs 100 times as much, has nearly 500 times the volume, cost 10 times as much, and has a 100th the processing power of the iPhone.

Two recent developments are helping to change that equation.  First, solid state drives (SSDs) are having a dramatic impact many IT scenarios. My friends, Brent Ozar and Paul Randall, have each written about SSDs here and here, respectively.

Second, database vendors are supporting relational database systems that run entirely in system RAM.  If you’d like to learn more about in-memory databases (IMDB), read more in my new article in Data Management Magazine.  As we look to the future, I expect to see a lot more of both technologies in the data center.

And give me your feedback here! Thanks,

-Kev

Jack Handy, famous from Saturday Night Live

Just wanted to let you know that a TechNet Radio episode and interview I did about cloud computing is now live on TechNet Edge. It was the featured spot on Thursday, June 3^rd and is also featured on the TechNet homepage.

I’ve been trying to wear more of an analyst’s hat these days, so this webcast has a lot of my “deep thinking” on issues related to cloud computing – hopefully at a higher level of quality that Jack Handy.

A salient point that I think many analysts are overlooking is the changing nature of data as it exists in the cloud.  For decades, data has primarily been about people (and their activities) for consumption by other people.  The cloud is enabling a major shift in data generation and consumption where data is produced by machines for consumption by other machines.  We’ll soon be looking at situations, now rather rare, in which sensors are extremely commonplace.  These sensors, whether they be in traffic signals or high-end medical devices, will create enormous amounts of data far more frequently than ever before, loading that data directly into cloud databases.  The cloud databases will consume and process the data and, when automated analysis (made all the easier through features like StreamInsight in SQL Server 2008 R2) will flag important findings for review by a real-live human being.  Check out the interview for several real-world examples being played out even as we speak.

Here is a direct link:

http://edge.technet.com/Media/TechNet-Radio-Microsoft-SQL-Azure-Growing-Opportunities-for-Data-in-the-Cloud/

Or  if brevity is your thing and you prefer a surrogate key over a natural key:

http://bit.ly/cdLTeP

Perhaps I can persuade you to blog, tweet, or place a link to it in your Facebook or team newsletter?  Maybe with a few deep thoughts? Please?  Pretty please?

And I welcome your deep thoughts and responses here.

Enjoy,

-Kev

Toad and I go way back.  I first started with Toad as a user on the Oracle DBMS back in the early 1990′s.  When I started at Quest Software back on January 2nd of 2002, one of the first products I tackled as a SQL Server product architect was Toad.  How do we make this very popular Oracle product one that users in the SQL Server world will love too?  And this challenge was made that much harder by the fact that Microsoft SQL Server ships with fantastic tools right there in the box.  I haven’t worked directly on Toad for many years now, but the tool marches on with new features and capabilities that push the envelop with each new release.

I want to applaud the product manager, David Gugick (center below), the developers and testers, and the active and supportive community who loves and embraces Toad.  It’s always a thrill when your hard work and efforts are recognized.

L to R: Jason Hall, Qsft head of SC's; David Gugick, director of Architecture; and me

Want to try Toad for SQL Server for free?

The 5.0 version of Toad for SQL Server that we showed at TechEd is the latest beta, available at ToadWorld.com (build 387 at the time of this writing). It can coexist with Toad for SQL Server version 4.6, if you’re already using it. The beta is quite stable and has a bevy of new features, including:

• SQL Azure support for most modules including data compare and schema compare, including comparing regular SQL Servers to SQL Azure and back, also with Firewall management (under Server Security properties panel).
• Much improved code completion that’s faster and allows for column selection, multi-table selection, with tooltips for parameters.  Don’t forget, all of these features work on SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008, and 2008 R2.
• Updated Schema Compare with better exposed snapshots.
• Group Execute enhancements that include database-level selection so you can execute across databases, an option to only show selected servers/databases, option to merge results (or not), improved merging, etc.
• New Idle Connection Timeout – to close connections after a period of inactivity.
• Result Set Pinning.
• Improved Trace support with features like Import Trace File to Table and Open in Profiler capabilities.
• New Debug Trace – traces all activity occurring inside of Toad, including storing all variable info in a replayable file.
• Twitter Integration (under the View – Collaboration panel) with Yammer integration coming in a future beta release.

You can also see a lot more details about the tool here.  And my long-standing offer still stands.  If you want to try Toad for SQL Server or its brethren (such as Toad for Data Analysts, Toad Data Modeler, or Benchmark Factory), drop me an email and I’ll get a long-term license key straight over to you.

But wait, there’s more!

There are so many great resources for you to tap into.  And best of all, they’re all free!  Check these out:

White Paper: How Managers Can Help Their Developers Write Excellent Code

In this white paper, renowned Oracle PL/SQL expert and fellow O’Reilly author Steven Feuerstein provides dev managers with guidance on how to help developers write the best software possible.

Live Product Demo: Toad® Data Modeler
Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET

Modern Analyst Webinar: Stress-free SQL Queries for the Analyst
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2010
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PST

Live Product Demo:  Toad® for Data Analysts
Date: Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET

Live Product Demo: Benchmark Factory® for Databases
Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET

I look forward to hearing from you.  Enjoy!

-Kevin

Pain of the Week: SQL Server for the Oracle DBA

Webcast: SQL Server for the Oracle DBA
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010 (Just a couple days hence!)
Time: 8 a.m. Pacific / 11 a.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. United Kingdom / 5 p.m. Central Europe
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Cost: FREE

In enterprise IT, database professionals face a mixed-bag of platforms within their environments — and the overlapping duties that go along with them. Whether you like it or not, you get asked to support Microsoft SQL Server operations even though you’re an Oracle DBA.

In this instructive webcast, experts from Microsoft and Quest with years of experience in both platforms will discuss the biggest issues and areas of interest for Oracle DBAs who need to work on Microsoft SQL Server. You’ll learn their tips and tricks for efficiency and gain a deeper understanding of SQL Server to help you add more value than ever to your organization.

Presenters:
Kevin Kline, SQL Server MVP, Quest Software
Buck Woody, Senior Technology Specialist, SQL Server, Microsoft

Pain of the Week: Easy Ways to Fix Hard SQL Server Problems – Without a Guru

Webcast: Easy Ways to Fix Hard SQL Server Problems – Without a Guru
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2010
Time: 8 a.m. Pacific / 11 a.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. United Kingdom / 5 p.m. Central Europe
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Cost: FREE
In this instructive webcast, you’ll learn straightforward methods for troubleshooting and resolving common poorly performing stored procedures and queries in SQL Server 2008. The presenters will show you how to easily:

• Read query execution plans and identify bottlenecks in performance
• Record system performance metrics for trend analysis
• Design databases and write Transact–SQL code to avoid common problems
• Understand what an index is, what it does, and how to build one
• Use industry-accepted best practices and develop your own to arrive at optimal database performance

Much of the webcast is based on Grant’s book, “SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled.”

Don’t miss this chance to get practical advice from working experts instead of just theories from academics!
Presenters:
Kevin Kline, SQL Server MVP, Quest Software
Grant Fritchey, “Scary” DBA from FM Global