If you're an Oracle DBA who wants to learn SQL Server fast, this is the book for you. Written by one the world's most widely-read DBA, Steve Callan offers real-world advice on the equivalencies between Oracle and SQL Server.

* Understand the differences between SQL Server terminology and Oracle. * See the equivalent Oracle parameters in SQL Server.

About the Author:

 

Steve Callan

Steve Callan is an Oracle certified professional with over 20 years of progressive hands-on technical experience and nearly a decade managing mission-critical Oracle databases.  He is also a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), and is proficient in SQL Server 2005.    Steve is a highly technical database administrator with skills in managing very large Oracle databases, including skills in using Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) for high availability.  He is also a quantitative expert, proficient at advanced modeling, simulation and statistical analysis techniques.  In his roles as a lead technical DBA, he has managed Oracle security (using virtual private databases and role-based security) and he has experience with Oracle data warehouse technology.   Steve is also an experienced UNIX Systems Administrator, performing critical UNIX system admin duties, knowledgeable in all areas of UNIX administration including installation and configuration, security and multi-tiered UNIX architectures.    Mr. Callan is a multi-faceted expert with significant experience using Oracle Application Server technology, performing all of the duties of an Oracle Application Server DBA and leveraging his technical skills with application server extension technologies, including HTML, JSP, JavaScript, CSS, Apache and Tomcat.  He also has experience as a developer using Apex (HTML-DB), SQL*Forms and SQL*Reports.   Steve has a Masters degree in Software and Information Systems from Regis University, and a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering from New Mexico State University.  He has also completed all Ph.D. coursework for his pending doctorate in Mathematical & Computer Sciences at the Colorado School of Mines.

Table of Contents:

 

CHAPTER 1 – Inside the MS-SQL  Architecture This section describes the SQL Server architecture in Oracle terminology: SQL Server runtime environment The evolution of SQL Server SQL Server and FoxPro (Rushmore technology) SQL Server and Oracle differences in a nutshell Standard file layout on disk data file location log location perfmon and sysmon logs files for disk sorting of result sets SQL Server trace and dump files MS-SQL profiler trace files Windows logs Windows performance logs Windows event logs Background process functions process monitor system monitoring archiving logs Memory structures shared memory user memory RAM for sorting RAM for hash joins RAM for data buffering RAM for SQL caching SQL Server in the registry Overview of parameters control files and parameter entries Data integrity backup & recovery rollback mechanism roll forward mechanisms Users and security Creating users Remote users Role management in SQL Server SQL Server Metadata SQL Server data dictionary SQL Sever optimizer statistics SQL Server monitoring metrics SQL SQL dialect for MS-SQL Differences between Oracle SQL and SQL Server SQL SQL execution in SQL Server Dynamic Management Views (DMV) CHAPTER 2 – Managing a SQL database This chapter describes the major management functions in SQL Server in contrast to those used by an Oracle DBA. SQL Server DBA job Duties DBA command interfaces SQL Server Utilities SQL Server Management Pack Baseline Security Analyzer PAL: Performance Analyzer of Logs SQLDiag Utility: collects blocking and configuration information and uses Windows performance and event logs. PSSDiag utility:  Used b y MS tech support to collect logs and trace files for analysis. Database engine tuning advisor (dta commands) Index tuning wizard SQL Server management studio express:  Replay Markup Language (RML) utilities  to analyze MS-SQL trace files: Compare SQL execution times Find SQL execution plan changes Identify resource intensive SQL and applications Installing and patching SQL Server SQL Server Surface Area Configuration Tools Starting and Stopping SQL Server Parameter management Windows parameters database parameters object parameters Initialization file management Review of all global parameters Dynamic reconfiguration of SQL Server SQL Server connectivity "listener" processes Distributed user access Distributed SQL RAM region optimization Sizing data buffers Sizing user RAM Sizing SQL cache area Managing fragmentation Monitoring fragmentation Reorganizing an entire database How to reorganize tables and indexes SQL Server Partition Management T-SQL T-SQL vs. PL/SQL SQL Server Stored Procedures (SP) SQL Server Metadata Views syspolicy views master views sysmail   T-SQL Views sys.dm_exec_query_stats Chapter x:  Dynamic management views (DMV)   DBA Management Views: sys.all_objects sys.backup_devices   sys.database_recovery_status sys.databases sys.servers sys.sysobjects sys.system_objects master.dbo.sysprocesses sys.server_principals sys.database_principals  sys.syslanguages              sys.messages    Security/Auditing Views: sys.sql_logins    sys.database_role_members     sys.database_permissions sys.server_permissions sys.change_tracking_tables sys.change_tracking_databases Chapter x: Managing Storage Disk File Views: sys.dm_io_pending_io_requests  sys.dm_io_virtual_file_stats sys.database_files           sys.database_mirroring sys.master_files               sys.filegroups   Chapter x:  Managing tables and indexes Table Management Views: sys.objects         sys.columns       sys.check_constraints sys.default_constraints sys.key_constraints sys.foreign_keys              sys.partitions sys.allocation_units Index Views: sys.indexes sys.dm_db_index_operational_stats sys.dm_db_index_physical_stats sys.dm_db_index_usage_stats sys.dm_db_missing_index_group_stats Data Mining Views: sys.dm_db_partition_stats         sys.dm_tran_locks          sys.dm_exec_connections sys.dm_exec_sessions sys.dm_exec_requests sys.dm_tran_locks    Chapter x: SQL Server Tuning: Managing Fragmentation Tuning Views: master.dbo.syscacheobjects sys.dm_os_wait_stats sys.dm_os_waiting_tasks sys.dm_tran_active_transactions sys.dm_tran_locks  sys.system_internals_allocation_units sys.system_internals_allocation_units sys.system_internals_partitions master.dbo.syslockinfo master.dbo.sysperfinfo sys.dm_os_buffer_descriptors  sys.dm_os_latch_stats sys.dm_os_performance_counters  sys.dm_os_ring_buffers  sys.dm_os_schedulers  sys.dm_os_sys_info  Chapter x:  MS-SQL SQL Management & Tuning SQL Views: sys.sql_modules  sys.dm_exec_cached_plans sys.dm_exec_query_optimizer_info sys.dm_exec_query_plan sys.dm_exec_query_stats sys.dm_exec_sql_text sys.system_sql_modules