Episode 279
| September 20, 2024
| 63 minutes
SQL Server Migrations Demystified
If you use SQL Server, you will eventually have to migrate that instance somewhere – to a new version, a new server, the cloud . . . somewhere.
Or perhaps you'll find yourself migrating from another database into SQL Server.
No matter which way you slice it, SQL Server migrations can be daunting, not to mention complex and time-consuming. While we know there are risks and many things that can go wrong, the "new" Microsoft continues to put time and effort towards making successful SQL Server migrations attainable for everyone.
In this episode of the podcast, we chat with Tejas Shah and Sudhir Raparla, 2 of the Microsoft Project Managers responsible for SQL Server migration tooling. They share practical perspectives on approaching your SQL migration with confidence and the tools and enhancements that will help.
During the conversation, Tejas and Sudhir also take us through the 5 migration steps they want you to consider as you undertake your SQL Server migration process.
Even though we’ve migrated thousands of databases, I had to go back and peek at a couple of the new features the migration tooling team has added. One intriguing addition is the Azure SQL Pricing repository, which is part of the SQL Server Migration assistant and can help with determining costs based on industry standards, deployment recommendations, target sizing, and monthly savings based on your unique scenario.
Let us know what you think! What SQL migration features have you come to trust and rely on? Did you get any good takeaways from today's podcast or have some questions? Leave us a comment and some love ❤️ on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or Instagram. Thank you for listening!
Our Guests
Tejas Shah
Tejas is a principal program manager on the Azure Data Platform team at Microsoft, leading the SQL Server on Linux containers project and Azure SQL Migration tools development across all versions. Tejas holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Engineering, and has 24 years of industry experience including over 20 years at Microsoft.
His in-depth technical knowledge and experience with the SQL Server product spans over 11 versions of SQL Server including the latest release. Tejas works with customers, support resources, field engineers, and the community to understand product usage, and leveraging feedback and learnings from these engagements, drives product enhancement and evolution.
Sudhir Raparla
Sudhir is a senior program manager on the Azure Data Platform team at Microsoft with 14 years of experience building enterprise-scale database and analytics cloud platforms. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Science and a Masters in Business Administration specializing strategy and marketing. Sudhir currently leads the strategy for Azure SQL Migration tools across all versions.
With his passion for data and a deep belief in taking a customer-centric approach to building data products, Sudhir enjoys taking on the challenges of building solutions that enable data democratization.
"I love listening to customers to understand the journey they go through and the jobs they get try to done every day."
It'll also give the recommendation for Azure SQL PAAS, for Managed Instance, and for DBS so that you can make the decision on the fly. You don't have to do all of this again. Once you do it, you get the assessment for all the targets in one go. - Sudhir Raparla
Essentially, what we are providing you is a foundation. In other words, discovery, assessment, and the migration, but there is still an IP to be built on top of it. You can provide your own guided experience based on your local conditions. - Tejas Shah
Meet the Hosts
Carlos Chacon
With more than 10 years of working with SQL Server, Carlos helps businesses ensure their SQL Server environments meet their users’ expectations. He can provide insights on performance, migrations, and disaster recovery. He is also active in the SQL Server community and regularly speaks at user group meetings and conferences. He helps support the free database monitoring tool found at databasehealth.com and provides training through SQL Trail events.
Eugene Meidinger
Eugene works as an independent BI consultant and Pluralsight author, specializing in Power BI and the Azure Data Platform. He has been working with data for over 8 years and speaks regularly at user groups and conferences. He also helps run the GroupBy online conference.
Kevin Feasel
Kevin is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and proprietor of Catallaxy Services, LLC, where he specializes in T-SQL development, machine learning, and pulling rabbits out of hats on demand. He is the lead contributor to Curated SQL, president of the Triangle Area SQL Server Users Group, and author of the books PolyBase Revealed (Apress, 2020) and Finding Ghosts in Your Data: Anomaly Detection Techniques with Examples in Python (Apress, 2022). A resident of Durham, North Carolina, he can be found cycling the trails along the triangle whenever the weather's nice enough.
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