Welcome to this Microsoft solutions workshop on Modern Storage Platforms for SQL Server. In this workshop you will learn how to make the most of a modern storage platform for SQL Server. You will learn storage fundamentals and how to leverage snapshots enabling you to dramatically reduce the time it takes data to move between SQL Server instances. We’ll then dive into modern storage architectures with using s3 object storage for backup, restore and data virtualization.
The focus of this workshop is to understand where storage lives in your data platform and learn how to use modern storage techniques to reduce the overhead and complexity of managing data in your enviroment.
You'll start by logging into a virtual lab enviroment using your own laptop, then work through a module covering storage fundamentals, leveraging sanpshots to reduce time it takes to manage your databases, and how use use s3 object storage for backup, restore and data virtualization.
The goal of this workshop is to train data professionals on the basics of storage infrastructure and how to use storage subsystems to manage data.
In this workshop you'll learn:
- Storage fundamentals for the DBA
- How to use snapshots to reduce the time it takes to move data between SQL Server instances
- How to use SQL Server 2022's s3 object integration for database backup and restore, along with data virtualizations
The concepts and skills taught in this workshop form the starting points for:
- Technical professionals tasked with managing data and databases
- Data professionals tasked with complete or partial responsibility for database management and availability
Businesses require access to data. The techniques described in this workshop enable data professionals the ability to decouple the size of the databases from the operations needed to be performant.
The workshop includes the following technologies which form the basis of the workshop. At the end of the workshop you will learn how to extrapolate these components into other solutions, solutions which are not solely limited to the technologies used in the lab. You will cover these at an overview level, with references to much deeper training provided.
| Syntax | Description |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Windows Operating System | This workshop uses the Microsoft Windows operating system |
| Microsoft SQL Server RC0 | In this workshop you will protect, copy, clone and build high availability databases on SQL Server |
| Pure Storage FlashArray | This workshop uses a Pure Storage FlashArray as a block device as a storage subsystem for SQL Server |
| Pure Storage FlashBlade | This workshop uses a Pure Storage FlashBlase as a object storage device as external object storage used by SQL Server |
You'll need a local system with a modern web browser, Chrome is preferred. You will access Windows based virtual machines running SQL Server in a browser based lab enviroment.
This workshop expects that you understand:
- SQL Server relational database fundamentals - for example, that databases are made of data and log files that are stored on disks
- Basic TCP/IP networking - for example, you know what an IP address is
| Module Description | Topics Covered | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - Storage fundamentals for DBAs | Explain where data lives in a computer system, and the key performance metrics used to understand the health and performance of your storage subsystem. | 45 mins |
| 2 - Storage based snapshots and SQL Server | Explain storage based snapshots, distinguish between the two types of snapshots: crash consistent and application consistent, and explore the use cases for each. We’ll look at how to restore a database, copy a database and also seed an Availability Group replica, all nearly instantaneously. | 70 mins |
| 3 - SQL Server Object Integration: Backup and Restore | Get started with using S3 compatible object storage for backups. We’ll discuss why this is an important feature, how to configure backups to S3 and performance tuning considerations. | 35 mins |
| 4 - SQL Server Object Integration: Data Virtualization | Describe and show how to use SQL Server 2022’s S3 object integration to access data outside of SQL Server in various storage formats such as parquet and CSV. Using this technique you can easily access datasets in various formats to enable analytics scenarios. | 45 mins |
In each of the modules, anywhere you see a - [ ], there is an activity you need to perform.
Follow the instructions in this section to launch the lab to use with this course.
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Navigate to the Sky Tap Portal at https://purestorage.skytap-portal.com/ and enter your passcode and click Go.
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Once logged in you will see an interface with two virtual machines Windows1 and Windows2. Click on the Windows1 virtual machine's to access its console. You will be automatically logged into Windows when you connect to the virtual machine's console.
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If the Lab is not started, Power on the VMs using the button up top; this will start the VMs in the proper sequence.
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Tip - Click Fit to Window to size the virtual desktop to your browser window.
Your hands-on lab consists of two Windows Servers, each with SQL Server installed with the Polybase feature. Also in your lab is a FlashArray for the primary block storage device and storage subsystem for SQL Server instances. There is also a FlashBlade, for use as the primary external object storage device used by SQL Server.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Windows1 | Primary administrator desktop and SQL Server Instance |
| Windows2 | SQL Server Instance |
| FlashArray1 | Primary block storage device and storage subsystem for SQL Server instances |
| FlashBlade1 | Primary external object storage used by SQL Server |
# Next Steps
Next, Continue to Storage fundamentals for DBAs