sp_server_diagnostics

sp_server_diagnostics sp is used to capture quick  diagnostic data and health information about your SQL Server to detect potential issues. It is a must run sp that I start using recently as a quick check on your SQL server stack. You can even run this procedure when using DAC.   For more detailed info visit an article on www.mssqltips.com.

The new Community Tech Preview of SQL Server 2016, CTP3

I want to point out two features that is either added or improved with CTP3 release of SQL Server 2016.

New addition :  You will now be able to setup transnational replication from in premise to Azure SQL (Microsoft's cloud based version of SQL Server). this will for sure make it easier to migrate data to cloud with little or no downtime

 Improvement: Integration of R (Revolution Analytics)  package that will allow you to run R analytics in the database without pulling out data for analysis on a separate location or machine.  This preview also added the ability to execute R scripts via system stored procedure to query and pass data to R

Azure data warehouse architecture

Diagram source : https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/documentation/articles/sql-data-warehouse-overview-what-is/

Azure SQL Data Warehouse is a distributed database capable of processing big data (both relational and non-relational). Microsoft claims that it is the first cloud based data warehouse that combines SQL capabilities with scalability at its core.

Clustered Columnstore Tables are now default on Azure SQL Data Warehouse platform.

For more info visit: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/clustered-columnstore-tables-are-default-in-azure-sql-data-warehouse/