Technical Articles and White Papers on SQL Server
I will be attending an advanced SQL Server training in a couple of weeks and the instructors recommended some pre-reading.
I'm sharing here a subset of those recommendations that point to articles and white papers published by Microsoft, grouped by category:
Database Storage
- TechNet Library Whitepaper: Physical Database Storage Design
- RAID Levels and SQL Server
- Books Online: Files and Filegroups Architecture
- SQL Server 2005 Technical Article: Partitioned Tables and Indexes in SQL Server 2005
Tempdb
- TechNet Library Whitepaper: Working with Tempdb in SQL Server 2005
- Books Online: Optimizing tempdb Performance
- Books Online: Capacity Planning for tempdb
Indexes and Query Optimization
- TechNet Library Whitepaper: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Index Defragmentation Best Practices
- TechNet Library Whitepaper: Online Indexing Operations in SQL Server 2005
- TechNet Library Whitepaper: Statistics Used by the Query Optimizer in Microsoft SQL Server 2005
- TechNet Library Whitepaper: Batch Compilation, Recompilation, and Plan Caching Issues in SQL Server 2005
- SQL Server 2005 Technical Article: SQL Server 2005 Row Versioning-Based Transaction Isolation
- Whitepaper: Database Engine Tuning Advisor (DTA) in SQL Server 2005
Profiling
- Windows Server 2003 Help: Performance monitoring Concepts
- Books Online: Introducing SQL Server Profiler
- TechNet Library: SQL Server 2005 Waits and Queues - SQL Server Best Practices Article
- TechNet Library: SQL Server Best Practices Article - Predeployment I/O Best Practices
Backup and Reliability
- Books Online: Backing Up and Restoring Databases in SQL Server
- Support Article: SQL Server 7.0, SQL Server 2000, and SQL Server 2005 logging and data storage algorithms extend data reliability
- Description of using disk drive caches with SQL Server that every database administrator should know
Security
- Books Online: Securing SQL Server
- Books Online: Setting Up Windows Service Accounts
- Books Online: Security Considerations for a SQL Server Installation
High Availability
- Books Online: High Availability Solutions Overview
- Books Online: Selecting a High Availability Solution
- Books Online: Database Mirroring Overview
- Books Online: Log Shipping Overview
Replication
- Books Online: SQL Server Replication
- Books Online: Replication Publishing Model Overview
- Books Online: Types of Replication Overview
- Books Online: Replication Agents Overview
Programmability
- SQL Server 2005 Technical Article: XML Support in Microsoft SQL Server 2005
- SQL Server 2005 Technical Article: Using CLR Integration in SQL Server 2005
- TechNet Library Whitepaper: Database Administrator’s Guide to SQL Server Database Engine .NET CLR Environment
Service Broker
- Books Online: SQL Server Service Broker
- Books Online: Overview (Service Broker)
- Books Online: What Does Service Broker Do?
- Books Online: Typical Uses of Service Broker
Integration Services
- Books Online: SQL Server Integration Services
- Books Online: Security Overview (Integration Services)
- Books Online: Integration Services Packages
- Books Online: Support for Data Transformation Services (DTS) in SQL Server 2008
- Books Online: Creating Package Configurations
New in SQL Server 2008
- SQL Server 2008 Technical Article: Introduction to New T-SQL Programmability Features in SQL Server 2008
- SQL Server 2008 Technical Article: Introduction to Spatial Coordinate Systems: Flat Maps for a Round Planet
- Books Online: Managing SQL Server Workloads with Resource Governor
- Books Online: Introducing Resource Governor
- Books Online: Resource Governor Concepts