SQL Server 2014 RTM Cumulative Update 2

Microsoft has released SQL Server 2014 RTM Cumulative Update 2, which is Build 12.0.2370.0. It has 48 hotfixes in the public fix list.

This is one of the more interesting fixes:

FIX: Intense query compilation workload does not scale with growing number of cores on NUMA hardware and results in CPU saturation in SQL Server

As usual, I recommend that you install this CU if you are using SQL Server 2014, because of the relatively high number of significant fixes in this build.

Upcoming SQLskills Training Classes

As Paul announced last week, SQLskills has revamped the previous IE1 and IE2 classes to focus even more on performance tuning and optimization. If you are interested in how to select and configure database hardware for various workloads as well as how to configure your operating system and SQL Server for the best performance and scalability, you should consider attending my IEHW class in Chicago on October 9-10, 2014.

This is the schedule for the next round of SQLskills training classes:

2014 Immersion Events
Chicago, IL

  • October 6-8, 2014: IE0: Immersion Event for the Accidental/Junior DBA
  • October 9-10, 2014: IEHW: Immersion Event on SQL Server Hardware
  • October 6-10, 2014: IEPTO1: Immersion Event on Performance Tuning and Optimization – Part 1 (formerly IE1)
  • October 13-17, 2014: IEPTO2: Immersion Event on Performance Tuning and Optimization – Part 2 (formerly IE2)

See here for the main Immersion Event Calendar page that allows you to drill through to each class for more details and registration links.

Special Pricing Options and Referrals
  • Past attendee price: If you’ve attended an Immersion Event in the past, you can register any time for 75% of the full price ($1,099). Please contact us for instructions.
  • Refer someone: If you know someone who would benefit from this class, refer them to us and when they register, we’ll give you a $50 Amazon gift card. They or you just need to let us know you’re referring them, and when they register, we’ll match them to your referral and send you the gift card.

Fall SQLintersection
This year our Fall SQLintersection conference will be the week of November 10th in Las Vegas. See here for details. Don’t forget to use the discount code “SQLskills” (without the quotes and it isn’t case-sensitive) and you can save $50 off registration! I hope to see you there!

Learn About SQL Server Hardware This October in Chicago

On October 9-10, 2014, I will be teaching IEHW: Immersion Event on SQL Server Hardware in Chicago, IL. This is a great opportunity for you to learn how to properly select and configure your server hardware and storage subsystem to get the best performance and scalability for the lowest SQL Server 2012/2014 licensing costs. You will also learn how to properly configure your hardware, storage subsystem, operating system, and SQL Server itself for the best performance and scalability for your workload. Attendees of this class will learn how to analyze, select, and size their database server hardware and storage subsystems for different types of SQL Server workloads in order to get the best performance and scalability while minimizing their SQL Server 2012/2014 license costs.

Since SQL Server 2014 is available, and Windows Server 2012 R2 has been available for over nine months, and we have new server models with the 2nd generation Intel Xeon E5 and E7 processor families, I think that it is going to make a lot of sense for many organizations to do a complete data platform refresh sometime during 2014/2015. By making wise hardware selection choices, you can easily save so much money on your SQL Server 2012/2014 licensing costs, that your actual server hardware is free. This is not an exaggeration! 

This two-day SQL Server hardware training class explains the core fundamentals and deeper details of database server hardware and storage subsystems for SQL Server database professionals. Many database professionals are completely unfamiliar with the details and nuances of modern server hardware and storage subsystems, while many server and storage administrators are completely unfamiliar with the specific workload demands of a SQL Server database server. Taking this course will allow you to bridge that gap.

This class also covers how to properly configure and benchmark your database server hardware and storage subsystems, along with how to properly install and configure the operating system and SQL Server for the best performance and reliability. The class will show you how to diagnose and troubleshoot hardware and storage related performance issues, and will include coverage of how virtualization interacts with your database server hardware and storage subsystem. Note: the primary audience for this class is SQL Server database professionals, not general system/server admins who are already familiar with server/storage hardware.

I think it is very important for database administrators to know as much as possible about the critical details of their server hardware and storage subsystem, rather than trusting their fate to “Shon the server guy”, who may or may not know that much about modern server hardware (maybe he is a networking specialist). Even if Shon is very knowledgeable about hardware, he may not understand the different demands that SQL Server will create with different types of workloads. I want you to be able to successfully make the case for selecting the best hardware and storage subsystem components for your workload and budget.  You can read more about the registration details here.

Special Pricing Options and Referrals
  • Past attendee price: If you’ve attended an Immersion Event in the past, you can register any time for 75% of the full price ($1,099). Please contact us for instructions.
  • Refer someone: If you know someone who would benefit from this class, refer them to us and when they register, we’ll give you a $50 Amazon gift card. They or you just need to let us know you’re referring them, and when they register, we’ll match them to your referral and send you the gift card.