SQL Server 2016:Just a Few Of Our DBA’s Favorite ThingsRodney Landrum, Senior DBA Consultant for Ntirety, a division of HOSTING

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Microsoft Has Delivered

Enterprise Comes to Standard

And Not Just SQL Server 2016

A List of Our Favorite New Features We Will Cover

• Query Store – Available in All Editions of SQL Server 2016• Dynamic Data Masking• Database Cloning• Always Encrypted• Fine Grain Auditing

Features Worth Mentioning in SQL Server 2016 Standard (SP1)

PolyBasehttps://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt143171.aspx

Row Level Securityhttps://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn765131.aspx

Basic Availability Groupshttps://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt614935.aspx

Columnstore Indexeshttps://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn934994.aspx

Query StoreNo, it is not a place to buy queries.

• New to SQL Server 2016• Used at the database level to track query execution statistics• Is persisted in the database over time (not lost from the plan cache via

DMVs)• Is used to identify poor performing queries and plans

Simple to Enable

ALTER DATABASE [Audit] SET QUERY_STORE = ONGOALTER DATABASE [Audit] SET QUERY_STORE (OPERATION_MODE = READ_WRITE)GO

Database Cloning

• Added to SQL Server 2016 SP1 and SQL Server 2014 SP2• Does not include data and uses the file properties of Model• Used primarily for diagnostics and troubleshooting query performance• Can copy schema, statistics and query store

Fine Grain Auditing

Prior to SP1 Only Server Level Audit For Standard EditionCapture Update/Insert/Delete activity at the object levelFilter audit events with log viewer or programmatically

• Create Audit• Set File Location• Set Max File Size and Rollover• Don’t Check “Shut Down Server”• Next Assign Server or Database

Audit Specification to this Audit

• Create an optional filter

Standard Log File Reader

Dynamic Data Masking• For masking or obfuscating specific columns of data from users• Easy to implement• Can be used for production and test environments

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[Confidential](

[ID] [int] NULL,

[Name] [nvarchar](70)NULL,

[CreditCard] [varchar](9)NULL,

[Salary] [int] NULL,

[Email] [nvarchar](60)NULL

)ON [PRIMARY]

ALTER Table Confidential

ALTER COLUMN SALARY ADD MASKED WITH (FUNCTION='default()')

ALTER Table Confidential

ALTER COLUMN creditcard ADD MASKED WITH (FUNCTION='partial(2,"XXXX",2)')

ALTER Table Confidential

ALTER COLUMN email ADD MASKED WITH (FUNCTION='email()')

CREATE USER Randy WITHOUT LOGIN;

GRANT SELECT ON Confidential TO Randy;

--Execute a select statement as Randy.

EXECUTE AS USER='Randy';

SELECT * FROM Confidential;

REVERT;

--Execute as administrator or a user with UNMASK permission

SELECT * FROM Confidential;

REVERT;

Always Encrypted• Encrypts columns of data in transit and at rest• Relies on the client to encrypt and decrypt the data• Key store should not be SQL Server itself• Companies can more easily implement segregation of duties

• Disallow DBAs and Sysadmins to see confidential data

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt163865.aspx

Normal connection to SQL Server via SSMS

CREATE or ALTERProbably one of the most requested T-SQL additionsAdded in SQL Server 2016 SP1

New DMV Information

Lock Pages in MemoryInstant File Initialization

To find whether or not SQL Server was using these features you had to scan through error logs or look up local security policy assignments for arcane permissions like “Perform Volume Maintenance Tasks”.

SELECT sql_memory_model , sql_memory_model_descFROM sys.dm_os_sys_info;

SELECT servicename , startup_type , startup_type_desc , status_desc , last_startup_time , instant_file_initialization_enabledFROM sys.dm_server_services;

Trace Flags

All the newly introduced Trace flags with SQL Server 2016 SP1 are documented and can be found at http://aka.ms/traceflags.

And Our Favorite New Feature

Reporting Services 2016With

Power BI Integration on Premises(not technically SQL Server 2016)

My Local SSRS 2016 Instance – Pretty Boring

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Q&A