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What's New in SQL Server 2012

What's New in SQL Server 2012

by Jon Reade, Rachel Clements
Publisher: Packt Publishing
Release Date: October 2012
ISBN: 9781849687348
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Book Description

Unleash the new features of SQL Server 2012

  • Upgrade your skills to the latest version of SQL Server
  • Discover the new dimensional model in Analysis Services
  • Utilize data alerts and render reports to the latest versions of Excel and Word
  • Build packages to leverage the new features in the Integration Services environment
  • Plan, load and simulate real-world database activity using Distributed Replay

In Detail

Microsoft SQL Server has been part of the enterprise database landscape since SQL Server 7 arrived in 1998 and has evolved into the relational and BI platform of choice by businesses around the globe. The performance and full feature set of SQL Server has been widely recognized by the business community and it is viewed as a powerful weapon in their database and business intelligence arsenal. SQL Server brings numerous benefits to all businesses, central to which is a thorough understanding of the technology, both current and new.

This is the book both DBAs and developers always wanted to buy but could never find in the bookstore. This is a SQL Server book that contains only the new features introduced in SQL Server 2012.

This book will give you a competitive advantage by helping you to quickly learn and understand the new features of SQL Server 2012. Most readers will already have an established knowledge of SQL Server and will want to update their 2008/2008R2 knowledge swiftly with least pain.

This book takes you through all of the new features of SQL Server 2012, from installing core database services and features, to the new administration and updated Transact-SQL functions. You will discover the new Analysis Services features, introduce data alerts and reporting features and explore the new enhancements to Integration Services. In addition you will learn how to automate, cleanse and transform critical business data with DQS and world-class enterprise level availability features.

Finally, you will venture into simulating real-world database loads using Distributed Replay and complete your journey with a look at the new SQL Server cloud services and the new Hadoop big data platform.

Table of Contents

  1. What's New in SQL Server 2012
    1. Table of Contents
    2. What's New in SQL Server 2012
    3. Credits
    4. About the Authors
    5. Acknowledgment
    6. Acknowledgment
    7. About the Reviewers
    8. www.PacktPub.com
      1. Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more
        1. Why Subscribe?
        2. Free Access for Packt account holders
        3. Instant Updates on New Packt Books
    9. Preface
      1. What this book covers
      2. What you need for this book
      3. Who this book is for
      4. Conventions
      5. Reader feedback
      6. Customer support
        1. Downloading the example code
        2. Errata
        3. Piracy
        4. Questions
    10. 1. Installing SQL Server 2012
      1. SQL Server 2012 Editions
        1. Enterprise Edition
        2. Standard Edition
        3. Business Intelligence Edition
        4. Licensing in the Cloud
        5. Developer Edition
        6. Express Edition
        7. Obtaining SQL Server 2012
          1. Evaluation
          2. Retail
        8. Navigating the Installation Process
      2. Summary
    11. 2. SQL Server Administration
      1. Management Studio keyboard shortcuts
        1. New Dynamic Management Views (DMVs)
          1. The new OS Volume Stats DMV
        2. Spatial indexes
        3. Columnstore indexes
          1. Creating a columnstore index
          2. Restrictions
        4. Contained databases
          1. Making an existing database partially contained
        5. Migrating your logins to a contained database
          1. Contained database security
      2. Security management
        1. Default schemas for groups
        2. User defined server roles
        3. SQL Server Audit enhancements
      3. Master Data Services (MDS)
      4. Summary
    12. 3. Transact SQL
      1. String functions
        1. CONCAT
        2. FORMAT
      2. Datetime functions
        1. EOMONTH
        2. DATEFROMPARTS
        3. TIMEFROMPARTS
        4. DATETIMEFROMPARTS
        5. DATETIMEOFFSETFROMPARTS
      3. Conversion functions
        1. TRY_PARSE
        2. PARSE
        3. IIF
      4. OFFSET and FETCH
      5. SEQUENCE
      6. WITH RESULT SETS
      7. Error handling with THROW
      8. FileTable table type
      9. New T-SQL analytical functions
        1. FIRST_VALUE
        2. LAST_VALUE
        3. LAG
        4. LEAD
      10. SQL Server Data Tools
        1. Database Projects
        2. Support for SQL Server 2005, 2008 and SQL Azure
        3. IntelliSense and debugging
        4. Installing SQL Server Data Tools
          1. Installing without Visual Studio 2010 pre-installed
          2. Installing with Visual Studio 2010 pre-installed
        5. Creating a new project
      11. Creating database projects
      12. Summary
    13. 4. Analysis Services
      1. Business Intelligence Semantic Model
      2. The three models
        1. Multidimensional and data mining model
          1. Creating a multidimensional model database
        2. Tabular model
          1. Tabular model database
          2. The xVelocity tabular engine mode
          3. Creating a tabular model database
        3. PowerPivot for the SharePoint model
        4. Installing a model
          1. Multidimensional and Tabular models
          2. PowerPivot for SharePoint
        5. Determining a previously installed model
      3. Resource usage reporting
      4. Extended Events for Analysis Services
      5. String store constraint
        1. Using scalable string storage
      6. Summary
    14. 5. Reporting Services
      1. Deprecated features
      2. Power View and SharePoint modes
        1. Minority Reporting Services
      3. Data Alerts
      4. Report Builder 2012
      5. Excel Renderer for Excel 2007-2010
      6. Word Renderer for Word 2007-2010
      7. Summary
    15. 6. Integration Services
      1. SSISDB – the SSIS Catalog database
      2. Introducing the ssis_admin role
        1. Giving users access to integration services
      3. Fixed database-level roles
        1. Upgrading from SQL Server 2005 and 2008
      4. New functions
      5. Shared connection managers
        1. Adding a connection manager at the package level
        2. Changing the scope of a connection manager
      6. Enhancements to the Flat File Connection Manager
      7. Undo and redo
      8. Deployment models
        1. Validating a project or package
        2. Querying the SSISDB
      9. Comparing and merging packages
      10. Color coded and indicator status codes
      11. Package execution logs
        1. How to set up basic SSIS logging
        2. View the results of logging
      12. Package execution reports
      13. Expression indicators
      14. Change Data Capture support
      15. Data taps
        1. Setting up a Data Tap
      16. Deprecated feares
      17. Resources
      18. Summary
    16. 7. Data Quality Services
      1. Reasons for using Data Quality Services
      2. Installing Data Quality Services
        1. Enabling TCP/IP for remote access to the DQS server
        2. Making data accessible for DQS operations
        3. Granting a DQS role on DQS_Main for DQS users
      3. Using Data Quality Services
        1. Understanding domains
      4. Coupling rules to data: the Data Quality Project
        1. Identifying invalid records and columns
        2. DQS versus T-SQL
      5. Resources
      6. Summary
    17. 8. AlwaysOn
      1. Mirroring, clustering and availability groups
        1. Availability groups
          1. Availability group restrictions
          2. Availability group advantages
        2. Using availability groups
      2. Summary
    18. 9. Distributed Replay
      1. Terminology
        1. Distributed Replay
        2. Trace file
        3. Intermediate file
        4. Controller
        5. Client
        6. Target
        7. DReplay
      2. Architecture
      3. Distributed Replay – a hands on example
      4. Installation
      5. Usage
        1. Capture
        2. Preprocess
        3. Replay
        4. Configuration
        5. Monitoring
        6. Canceling
      6. Additional resources
      7. Summary
    19. 10. Big Data and the Cloud
      1. Measure twice, cut once
      2. SQL Azure: SQL Server in the cloud
        1. Reasons for migrating to the cloud
          1. SQL Azure suitability
          2. How SQL Azure differs from hosted web and database services
          3. Differences between a public and private cloud
          4. Migrating a database to SQL Azure
          5. Public cloud costs
          6. Differences between SQL Azure and SQL Server Standard/Enterprise editions
          7. Using SQL Azure
          8. New skills
          9. SQL Azure and the future of databases
      3. Big data and Hadoop: horses for courses
        1. What is big data?
        2. The need for big data platforms
        3. Is SQL Server redundant?
        4. About Hadoop
        5. About Hive
        6. Differences in the Microsoft environment
        7. Hadoop and OLTP
        8. Getting started with Hadoop
          1. The Microsoft Hadoop/Sqoop connector
      4. Notes on the Microsoft Hadoop/Sqoop connector
      5. Summary
      6. A final word from the authors
    20. Index