SQL Server Stretch Database for Historical Data
By Tom Nonmacher
Welcome to SQLSupport.org, where we provide you with the latest news and best practices in the SQL world. Today, we'll be discussing the SQL Server Stretch Database, an innovative feature in SQL Server 2022 that is designed to store and manage your historical data efficiently. The Stretch Database allows you to archive your cold data securely and cost-effectively to Azure SQL, enabling your operational system to perform at its best with active data.
The SQL Server Stretch Database feature essentially "stretches" your on-premises database to Azure, providing a seamless and dynamic way to work with both your active and archived data. It works by migrating your cold or historical data to the cloud, while still allowing you to query and access the data as if it were still on-premises. This ensures that your operational systems are not bogged down by old data, and can function at maximum efficiency.
Setting up SQL Server Stretch Database is straightforward. You need to enable it on your SQL Server 2022 and then specify which tables to stretch to Azure. Here is an example of how to enable Stretch Database on your server and table using T-SQL:
-- Enable Stretch Database on the server
EXEC sp_configure 'remote data archive', '1';
RECONFIGURE;
-- Enable Stretch Database on the table
ALTER TABLE dbo.YourTable
SET ( REMOTE_DATA_ARCHIVE = ON ( MIGRATION_STATE = OUTBOUND ) );
Microsoft Fabric plays a crucial role here as well. It provides the underlying technology for the coordination and management of distributed microservices for SQL Server and Azure, enabling the smooth transition and management of your data between on-premises SQL Server and Azure SQL.
Additionally, with the advent of Delta Lake, you can ensure the reliability and performance of data lakes. Delta Lake provides ACID transactions, scalable metadata handling, and unifies streaming and batch data processing. It integrates with Databricks, allowing you to perform complex analytics on your historical data stored in Azure SQL.
OpenAI and SQL is another exciting technology to consider. With OpenAI, you can train models on your historical data, and then use SQL queries to interact with these models. For example, you can use SQL to query predictions, explanations, and other insights from your models. This combination offers a powerful tool for data analysis and machine learning with your historical data.
In conclusion, the SQL Server Stretch Database feature provides an efficient and cost-effective solution for managing historical data. It leverages the capabilities of Azure SQL, Microsoft Fabric, Delta Lake, Databricks, and OpenAI, allowing you to store, manage, analyze, and glean insights from your data like never before. Stay tuned to SQLSupport.org for more insights and best practices in the world of SQL.