A while back I wrote an article about how I created a PowerShell script for a customer to help them with their morning routine of checking the health of each SQL Server in their environment. I have not worked with that customer in a good while, but I thought it would be useful to update the script with some additional checks. The original script helps the DBA answer these questions: What is the uptime of each SQL Server? What is the status of each database? What is the status of each Availability Group? What is the backup status of each...
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SQL Server Morning Health Checks
Every now and again as a Microsoft PFE, you get a chance to make a big difference for a customer. One such occasion happened just recently when I was asked to help find a way to automate the daily checks the DBA had to perform every morning. The result was a PowerShell script that reduced that manual task down from an hour to less than a minute. You can read the full article here on MSDN. https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/samlester/2017/12/29/sql-server-dba-morning-health-checks/ The PowerShell script can be downloaded from here. https://github.com/PatrickKeisler/SQLMorningHealthChecks
Continue reading...Blob Auditing for Azure SQL Database
In February 2017, Microsoft announced the general availability of Blob Auditing for Azure SQL Database. While auditing features were available before in Azure, this is a huge leap forward, especially in having more granular control over what audit records are captured. Before Blob Auditing, there was Table Auditing. This is something I like to equate to the C2 auditing feature of SQL Server. It’s only configurable options were ON or OFF. In reality, Table Auditing has a few more controls than that, but you get the idea. There was no way to audit actions against one specific table. Blob Auditing...
Continue reading...AzureRM Module Version
When working with the AzureRM PowerShell module, remember the module is constantly being updated to take advantage of new features added to Azure. To check the version of the AzureRM module currently installed on your system, use the following command. The screenshot below shows I am running version 1.4.0 and the output of Get-AzureRmSqlDatabaseAuditingPolicy command-let. Next, I install the latest AzureRM module. After the install is complete, I rerun the same commands. The screenshot below shows that I am now running version 3.8.0 followed by the same Get-AzureRmSqlDatabaseAuditingPolicy command-let. Notice the difference in the output? There are several differences, but in...
Continue reading...SQLPSX is Finally Getting Updated
The most current code is now on Github, with the Codeplex version being depreciated. You can read all about the planned updates from Mike Shepard. The Future of SQLPSX https://powershellstation.com/2016/07/13/the-future-of-sqlpsx/ SQLPSX Update https://powershellstation.com/2016/07/31/sqlpsx-update/
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