Stairway to Azure SQL Database: Level 1 Getting Started (SQLServerCentral 6/13/2018)

[SQLServerCentral - www.sqlservercentral.com]( A community of more than 1,600,000 database professionals and growing Featured Contents - [Stairway to Azure SQL Database: Level 1 Getting Started]( - [Free eBook: Inside the SQL Server Query Optimizer]( - [Data Governance, DevOps, and Delivery]( - [4 Ways To Define Lookup Values In A Query]( (From the SQLServerCentral Blogs) - [Linked Server to Azure SQL Database]( (From the SQLServerCentral Blogs) Featured Script - [Generate a script for FullText Catalogs and Indexes]( The Voice of the DBA The Data Submarine For some reason, this came to mind: [under the sea, under the sea](. That's what I thought of as I was reading about [Microsoft sinking a data center](. There are probably jokes to be made about Microsoft and sinking, though they're less humorous as the company's stock price has [risen quite a bit in the last few years](. The is a research project from Microsoft on future data center design. Using modular devices that can be submerged for years at a time, only having a connection for power and data back to the surface. These are designed as sealed environments, without the creature comforts needed in data centers for human technicians. The systems inside are built to live on their own, using the water for cooling the heat generated by computations. There won't be any repairs or replacements for failures. With the equivalent of twelve racks of servers in the system, I wonder how long they will list. I find it interesting that the experiment is designed for a year, though the device should have a timeline of 5 years. Does that mean that Microsoft expects current hardware to last for five years? Is that the new lifecycle of modern chips and storage? Or perhaps they find the lifecycle is shorter, but this is more a test of the extreme lifetime that they expect and they'll track and chart the failures across time of components? I expect they already know some of the expected lifetime of hardware from their massive Azure data centers, which they can compare to this environment. It's an interesting idea, and one that might see smaller, modular data centers spread around bodies of water where there is enough movement to carry heat away. This should reduce power consumption, as less is needed for cooling. This can also reduce latency, with devices perhaps located closer to clients for heavy compute capabilities or even content delivery. I'm not sure these will work at larger scales, as heat attracts life, with plant and animals potentially migrating to be near the submersibles. Who knows if were would be interference with operations, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that some level of maintenance is needed. We might see the rise of a new type of job, like undersea gardener or window washer that keeps the submarines clear of encroaching biology. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised to see Roomba-like automated devices that put many of these humans out of work. Steve Jones from [SQLServerCentral.com]( Join the debate, and [respond to today's editorial on the forums]( --------------------------------------------------------------- The Voice of the DBA Podcast Listen to the [MP3 Audio]( ( 3.4MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at [iTunes]( and [Libsyn](. [feed]( The Voice of the DBA podcast features music by Everyday Jones. No relation, but I stumbled on to them and really like the music. ADVERTISEMENT [SQL Compare](utm_source=ssc&utm_medium=pubemailad&utm_content=fortune-100&utm_campaign=sqlcompare&utm_term=20180613-slot1) The industry standard for comparing and deploying SQL Server database schemas Trusted by 71% of Fortune 100 companies, SQL Compare is the fastest way to compare changes, and create and deploy error-free scripts in minutes. Plus you can easily find and fix errors caused by database differences. [Download your free trial]( [GDPR](www.red-gate.com/gdpr?utm_source=ssc&utm_medium=pubemailad&utm_content=gdpr-ready&utm_campaign=GDPR&utm_term=20180613-slot2) How to make your SQL Server development GDPR ready Redgate’s SQL Data Privacy Suite helps you to build a data catalog of your SQL Server estate, and put in processes to protect and monitor personal information. [Find out more about how our tools help with GDPR compliance](www.red-gate.com/gdpr?utm_source=ssc&utm_medium=pubemailad&utm_content=gdpr-ready&utm_campaign=GDPR&utm_term=20180613-slot2) Featured Contents  [] [Stairway to Azure SQL Database: Level 1 Getting Started]( Arun Sirpal from [SQLServerCentral.com]() In this first level, learn how to get started with Azure and Azure SQL Database.[More »](SQL+database/173487/) ---------------------------------------------------------------  [] [Free eBook: Inside the SQL Server Query Optimizer]( Press Release from [SQLServerCentral.com]() This free eBook from Redgate Software will take you from the fundamentals of Statistics, Cost Estimation, Index Selection, and the Execution Engine, and guide you through the inner workings of the Query Optimization process, and throws in a pragmatic look at Parameterization and Hints along the way.[More »]( ---------------------------------------------------------------  [] [Data Governance, DevOps, and Delivery]( Additional Articles from [SimpleTalk]() Data governance must be included in DevOps practices. William Brewer explains how to define business policies and standards to ensure compliance with privacy regulations and bring data governance to all aspects of continuous delivery.[More »]( ---------------------------------------------------------------  [] From the SQLServerCentral Blogs - [4 Ways To Define Lookup Values In A Query]( Bert Wagner from [SQLServerCentral Blogs]( Watch this week’s episode on YouTube. Occasionally you may need to create a lookup table of values for a single query. ...[More »]( ---------------------------------------------------------------  [] From the SQLServerCentral Blogs - [Linked Server to Azure SQL Database]( Arun Sirpal from [SQLServerCentral Blogs]( You may (or may not) have a requirement to setup a linked server to Azure SQL Database from a locally...[More »]( Question of the Day Today's Question I have a set of data in this variable: > positions = c("QB", "HB", "FB", "WR", "WR", "T", "G", "C", "G", "T", "TE") If I run this code, what is returned? > duplicated(positions) Think you know the answer? [Click here](, and find out if you are right. --------------------------------------------------------------- We keep track of your score to give you bragging rights against your peers. This question is worth 1 point. We'd love to give you credit for your own question and answer. To submit a QOTD, simply log in to the [Contribution Center](. ADVERTISEMENT [XML and JSON Recipes for SQL Server: A Problem-Solution Approach]( Quickly find solutions to dozens of common problems encountered while using XML and JSON features that are built into SQL Server. Content is presented in the popular problem-solution format. Look up the problem that you want to solve. Read the solution. Apply the solution directly in your own code. Problem solved! [Get your copy from Amazon]( today. Yesterday's Question of the Day Yesterday's Question (by Thomas Franz): An easy question today: what will the following query return? SELECT * FROM (VALUES (1), (2), (3), (1)) AS t1(id) UNION SELECT * FROM (VALUES (4), (5)) AS t2(id) Answer: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Explanation: UNION will perform an implicit DISTINCT over the whole result set, so even if there are no duplicates between the first and the second queries, the UNION operator will remove the double (1) from the final result. There is no need to write something as SELECT DISTINCT * FROM (VALUES (1), (2), (3), (1)) AS t1(id) UNION SELECT DISTINCT * FROM (VALUES (4), (5)) AS t2(id) although I've seen such code very often. If you compare the execution plans of those queries on real tables, you'll find out, that the one with the additional manual keywords has a little bit higher CPU load (depending on your indexes / table sizes) because of the additional distinct sort or hash aggregate. Ref: UNION - [click here]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [» Discuss this question and answer on the forums]( Featured Script [Generate a script for FullText Catalogs and Indexes]( Bob Steen from [SQLServerCentral.com]() Simply run this in your database of choice. It will create a complete script to generate the FullText catalogs and indexes. [More »]( Database Pros Who Need Your Help Here's a few of the new posts today on the forums. 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