SQL Server 2025 and SSMS 21 Updates: Microsoft has unveiled a series of exciting updates across SQL Server 2025 and SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). Here’s a roundup of the most important announcements: SQL Server 2025 Release Candidate 0: SQL Server 2025 RC0 introduces a host of AI-powered features and…
SQL Security with Microsoft’s Zero Trust Workshop In today’s evolving threat landscape, data professionals, especially those managing SQL Server environments, must go beyond traditional perimeter-based security. Microsoft’s Zero Trust Assessment Tool offers a powerful way to evaluate and enhance your organization’s security posture using the principles of Zero Trust. What…
It has been a few years since I earned a new Microsoft Certification, but the Azure AI Fundamentals exam is in the books. This is a requirement for all customer facing Microsoft employees for the 2026 fiscal year. My Study Guide and Training Session I’ve also put together a training…
Here is a roundup of recent security updates for SQL Server from the SQL Server Blog announcements. Security Updates: August 2025 Security Update for SQL Server 2022 RTM CU20 Security Update for SQL Server 2022 RTM GDR Security Update for SQL Server 2019 RTM CU32 Security Update for SQL Server 2019…
I wanted to share an important update from Microsoft that directly supports our shared commitment to cybersecurity: the launch of the Secure Future Initiative (SFI) patterns and practices. This new library of actionable guidance is designed to help organizations like yours implement robust security measures at scale. The SFI framework…
As data continues to drive innovation across industries, Microsoft Fabric has emerged as a unified platform for analytics, data engineering, and AI. With its growing adoption, Microsoft now offers role-based certifications to validate your expertise in Fabric. Whether you’re an aspiring analytics engineer or a seasoned data professional, there’s a…
Migrating SQL Server databases to the cloud has traditionally been a complex, time-consuming process. But with Microsoft’s new unified migration experience for SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc—now in public preview—the journey to Azure SQL Managed Instance is faster and simpler than ever.
Microsoft has just announced new guidance and tools to help organizations protect and modernize their SQL Server 2016 workloads as the product approaches its End of Support (EOS) on July 14, 2026. What does End of Support mean? Microsoft Lifecycle Policy offers 10 years of support (five years for mainstream…
Here is a roundup of recent security updates for SQL Server from the SQL Server Blog announcements. Recent Posts: Preparing for the Deprecation of TLS 1.0 and 1.1 in Azure Databases Immutability: A Powerful Shield Against Ransomware in SQL Environments Announcing General Availability of Enhanced Server Audit for Azure SQL Database…
I often get asked about Automating Tasks and Monitoring Tools in Azure SQL, here are some helpful resources and scripts that can be used to test these features. All the scripts are in this Automated_AzureSQLDB.zip file. Database Watcher: Database watcher is a managed monitoring solution for database services in the Azure…