SQL Updates Newsletter - September 2015

Recent Releases and Announcements

• SQL Server 2016 Community Technology Preview 2.4 is here!
  • https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-sql-server-2016
  • https://blogs.technet.com/b/dataplatforminsider/archive/2015/09/30/sql-server-2016-community-technology-preview-2-4-is-available.aspx
• Cumulative Update 8 for SQL Server 2012 SP2
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3082561
• Announcing SQL Server Management Studio - September 2015 Release
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlreleaseservices/archive/2015/09/30/announcing-sql-server-management-studio-september-2015-release.aspx
• SQL Server Data Tools Preview update for September 2015
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/ssdt/archive/2015/09/30/sql-server-data-tools-preview-update-for-september-2015.aspx
• The SQL Server product team is looking for feedback and your individual perspectives about cloud hosted environments for SQL Server
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlreleaseservices/archive/2015/09/01/let-s-chat-about-sql-server-cloud-hosting.aspx
• Microsoft has launched the SQL Server Logo Certification Program
  • https://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/09/01/connect-with-customers-through-new-sql-server-2014-certification-program/
  • It’s designed to help application providers and ISV partners drive growth by validating that their apps work with Microsoft SQL Server 2014
• We’re excited to announce a variant of G-series, the GS-series
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/azure-has-the-most-powerful-vms-in-the-public-cloud/
  • Combines the compute power of G-series with the performance of Premium Storage to create powerful VMs for your most storage and compute intensive applications
  • Powered by the Intel Xeon E5 v3 family processors, the GS-series can have up to 64TB of storage, provide 80,000 IOPs (storage I/Os per second) and deliver 2,000 MB/s of storage throughput
• The expanded Microsoft Azure Data Lake
  • Includes Azure Data Lake Store, which will be available in preview later this year, providing a single repository where you can easily capture data of any size, type and speed without forcing changes to your application as data scales.
  • Also available in preview in the coming months is Azure Data Lake Analytics, a new service built on Apache YARN
  • In addition, Microsoft announced general availability for Azure HDInsight
  • https://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/09/28/microsofts-new-expanded-azure-data-lake-can-help-you-do-more-with-big-data/
• Free Excel add-in brings the power of Azure Machine Leaning to your spreadsheets
  • Microsoft released a free Excel add-in that connects with web services published from Azure Machine Learning
  • https://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/09/01/free-excel-add-in-brings-the-power-of-azure-machine-leaning-to-your-spreadsheets/?filter-products=consumer-products
  • https://blogs.technet.com/b/machinelearning/archive/2015/09/01/excel-add-in-for-azure-ml.aspx
• You can now effortlessly publish your Excel workbook content directly to Power BI with Excel 2016
  • https://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/09/24/publish-your-excel-2016-workbook-to-power-bi-and-create-stunning-reports/?filter-products=security-privacy,nokia
• Office 2016 Quick Start Guides are now available
  • https://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/09/28/office-2016-quick-start-guides-are-now-available/?filter-products=xbox-kinect,nokia
• The Webtrends content pack for Power BI helps users monitor, analyze and visualize Webtrends’ customer data with Power BI’s dashboard and reporting tools for greater marketing success.
  • https://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/09/02/webtrends-content-pack-for-power-bi-helps-deliver-customer-insights/?filter-products=dynamics,apps
• More Reporting Services enhancements in SQL Server 2016 CTP 2.4
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlrsteamblog/archive/2015/09/30/more-reporting-services-enhancements-in-sql-server-2016-ctp-2-4.aspx
  • Position report parameters the way you want, Export reports to PowerPoint, Print reports from modern browsers,
• New extended events for database recovery progress
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sql_server_team/archive/2015/09/23/new-extended-events-for-database-recovery-progress.aspx#.VgyrVsuFNEY
• Record breaking performance numbers were recently published for SQL Server 2014 for various hardware systems.
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sql_server_team/archive/2015/09/11/record-breaking-performance-numbers-for-sql-server-2014.aspx#.VgyrYMuFNEY
• New MDS features in SQL CTP2.3 releases
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/mds/archive/2015/09/03/new-features-in-sql-ctp2-3-releases.aspx
• Parallel partition processing available for Tabular Models in SQL Server 2016 Preview
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/analysisservices/archive/2015/09/16/parallel-partition-processing-available-for-tabular-models-in-sql-server-2016-preview.aspx
• What’s new on the Power BI Mobile apps?
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/powerbi/archive/2015/09/15/what_1920_s-new-on-the-power-bi-mobile-apps-915.aspx
• New extended event to track backup and restore progress
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sql_server_team/archive/2015/09/22/new-extended-event-to-track-backup-and-restore-progress.aspx#.VgytwcuFNEY
• Transparent Database Encryption Preview Issues Resolved
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlsecurity/archive/2015/09/25/transparent-database-encryption-preview-issues-resolved.aspx
• 44 New Features in the Power BI Desktop September Update
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/powerbi/archive/2015/09/23/44-new-features-in-the-power-bi-desktop-september-update.aspx
• SQL Server Connector Update
  • https://blogs.technet.com/b/kv/archive/2015/09/08/sql_2d00_connector_2d00_updates.aspx
• Download the new JDBC 4.2 for SQL Server Driver
  • https://blogs.technet.com/b/dataplatforminsider/archive/2015/09/02/download-the-new-jdbc-4-2-for-sql-server-driver.aspx
• Cloud Platform Release Announcements for September 30, 2015
  • https://blogs.technet.com/b/stbnewsbytes/archive/2015/09/30/cloud-platform-release-announcements-for-september-30-2015.aspx

 

Recent Whitepapers/E-books/Training/Tutorials

• Updated Developer’s Guide to Windows 10 video series
  • https://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/09/01/check-out-the-updated-developers-guide-to-windows-10-video-series/
• Mashup the Internet of Things, Azure App Service and Windows 10 to Deliver Business Value
  • https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Ignite/Microsoft-Ignite-New-Zealand-2015/M387
• An Overview of Microsoft Azure Networking Capabilities
  • https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Ignite/Microsoft-Ignite-New-Zealand-2015/M261

Monthly Script Tips

• Workaround for Identity column in APS
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/siddharth_tandons_blog/archive/2015/09/25/workaround-for-identity-column-in-aps.aspx
• How to unit test PowerShell scripts that call cmdlets from the SharePoint snap-in
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/brian_farnhill/archive/2015/09/10/how-to-unit-test-powershell-scripts-that-call-cmdlets-from-the-sharepoint-snap-in.aspx
• Modeling the AdventureWorks Inventory Database for Azure Search
  • https://blogs.technet.com/b/onsearch/archive/2015/09/08/modeling-the-adventureworks-inventory-database-for-azure-search.aspx
• Scheduling Start and Stop Times for Azure VMs
  • https://blogs.technet.com/b/askpfeplat/archive/2015/09/07/scheduling-start-and-stop-times-for-azure-vms.aspx
• PowerShell: Retrieve Group Policy details for Remote Computer
  • https://blogs.technet.com/b/meamcs/archive/2015/09/24/powershell-retrieve-group-policy-details-for-remote-computer.aspx
• PowerShell 5: Create Simple Class
  • https://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2015/09/01/powershell-5-create-simple-class.aspx

Issue Alert

• Critical: issue in SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1 that could crash your SQL server
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/axinthefield/archive/2013/10/31/sql-server-2012-service-pack-1-issue-that-could-crash-your-server.aspx
• Critical : Do NOT delete files from the Windows Installer folder. C:\windows\Installer is not a temporary folder and files in it should not be deleted. If you do it on machines on which you have SQL Server installed you may have to rebuild the operating system and reinstall SQL Server.
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlserverfaq/archive/2013/04/30/do-not-delete-files-from-the-windows-installer-folder.aspx
• Important: You must precede all Unicode strings with a prefix N when you deal with Unicode string constants in SQL Server
  • https://support.microsoft.com/kb/239530
• FIX: Error 602 when you run a stored procedure repeatedly in SQL Server 2012
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3080209
• FIX: It takes longer than expected when you run a query with non-admin user role in SSAS 2012 in Tabular model
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3087094
• FIX: Information disclosure when you create a session cube by using dynamic role-based security in SQL Server 2012
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3080856
• FIX: Excel crashes when you use Excel 2010 on a computer that has the .NET Framework 4.6 installed
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3087920
• FIX: Error 9002 and error 3052 when you try to add or back up log file in SQL Server 2012
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3095156
• FIX: Error occurs when you configure SQL Server replication or set up a linked server in SQL Server 2012
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3091643
• FIX: Scheduler deadlock on primary replica when you remove a replica from an AlwaysOn availability group in SQL Server 2012
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3088307
• FIX: Out of memory error when the virtual address space of the SQL Server process is very low on available memory
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3074434
• FIX: Access violations when you use the FileTable feature in SQL Server 2012
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3087872
• FIX: Access violation occurs in AlwaysOn availability groups scenarios in SQL Server 2012
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3092703
• FIX: It takes a longer time than earlier versions of SQL Server when you run DBCC CHECKDB in SQL Server 2012
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3092702
• FIX: Rare incorrect result occurs when you run parallel query in SQL Server 2012
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3077273
• FIX: Data spill occurs when you sort large amount of data in SQL Server 2012
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3088480
• FIX: It takes longer time than expected when you run query with non-admin user role in SSAS 2012 in Tabular model
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3087094
• FIX: No error is prompted when connection is terminated in sqlcmd
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3082877
• FIX: A stalled dispatcher system dump forces a failover and service outage in SQL Server 2014 or SQL Server 2012
  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3081074
• SQL Server 2012 NUMA Node Imbalance
  • https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlcan/archive/2015/09/30/sql-server-2012-numa-node-imbalance.aspx

 

Fany Carolina Vargas | SQL Dedicated Premier Field Engineer | Microsoft Services