When searching the SQL Server news sites looking for an interesting topic to write about this week, I noticed several references to Amazon's entry into the database market with a product called Amazon SimpleDB. I was interested in finding out more about exactly how simple the product was, what its capabilities were, and how it differed from my favorite database product—SQL Server.

The first reference I went to was the eWeek article "Amazon Opens Public Beta for SimpleDB Service," which said "'Traditional clustered relational databases often require a sizeable upfront investment and complex design,' said Matt Domo, general manager of Amazon SimpleDB, in a statement. 'Our customers have asked us for a simple, scalable, reliable and low latency alternative. Amazon SimpleDB eliminates complexity so that developers and businesses can focus on optimizing applications and not administering their database. We’re pleased that we can now make the service available broadly and also pass along the cost savings we’ve achieved.'"

Ok, so Amazon SimpleDB is geared toward developers and businesses, not database administrators, architects, or tuners. Developers just want to develop. Unless they're specifically database developers, they rarely have the time or inclination to learn the gory details of database design, maintenance, and tuning. And Amazon SimpleDB requires no schema, according to the eWeek article. But what exactly does "no schema" mean? Nowhere could I find a more elaborate explanation of that claim, but in my continued research, I surmised that it meant that you didn't have to define your database structure, or the structure of any tables.

In addition, "Amazon Opens Public Beta for SimpleDB Service," mentions a "traditional clustered relational database" but provides no definition of that term. The tradition must be more than 22 years old because that term meant nothing to me.  Wikipedia didn't have any information about the terms "clustered database" or "clustered relational database," so I guess I’m not the only one who isn’t familiar with them.  However, I finally found a reference to a clustered database at
http://www.versant.com/developer/resources/objectdatabase/whitepapers/vsnt_whitepaper_scalability_clustering.pdf. I'll let you read the article for yourself, but the definition it provides for a clustered database sounds suspiciously like SQL Server’s clustered indexes. Is a clustered database something more? I couldn't find the answer in a quick search.

The Amazon SimpleDB page on Amazon.com is full of hype.  It claims that Amazon SimpleDB "eliminates the administrative burden of data modeling, index maintenance, and performance tuning."  This sounds almost too good and reminds me of reminds me of my commentary "Will Database Tuning Become Obsolete?" which was about solid state disk (SSD) drives eliminating the need for tuning. Haven't we all been warned that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is?

Which combination of Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 do you use the most?

Go to the SQL Server Magazine home page (www.sqlmag.com) and submit your vote for:

• I take advantage of the LINQ functionality
• I use Report Designer with SQL Server Reporting Services
• I manage SQL Server 2008 databases from the Server Explorer
• I don't have SQL Server 2008 installed
• I never use Visual Studio

Partitioning a Table that Contains Future Dates
by Gary Zaika

If you have a large table with future dates in it, you can use the method described here to partition it.
http://www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/100641/sql_server_100641.html


SQL Server 2008 (and Earlier) Build Versions
by Michael Otey

Your SQL Server build versions can affect whether you should perform an upgrade or a new installation—learn how to find your SQL Server version number and whether an upgrade is in your future.
http://www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/100674/sql_server_100674.html

On January 27, John Savill, author of the Tips & Tricks UPDATE, will present a free web seminar on high availability options. John will look at the difference between planned and unplanned failovers and the technologies available to minimize downtime during failovers. He will also examine when to use physical or virtual clustering and show you the best practices to apply.

You'll learn to identify the best high availability design for different scenarios. You'll see how to use failover clustering within the virtual machines to take advantage of cluster-aware services such as Exchange and SQL Server running inside the VMs. You'll also see how you can use a combination of virtual and physical machines in a single cluster and learn about the gotchas that you should avoid.

Visit the seminar site and register today!

FileMaker Pro 10’s new interface lets you create reports, save search results, and automate database tasks.
www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/101216/101216.html

Endpoint Security: Learn How to Unify Essential Components in a Single Agent
Endpoints are the new Achilles heel of network and information security. How do you respond to the challenges and make sure your organization is set up to unify endpoint security? This white paper will help you better understand the risks you face and discusses a new strategy that organizations are turning to--using a broad set of technologies for endpoint security unified into a single agent with central control. Read this white paper to avoid stolen data, disruptions of business operations, and potential penalties for noncompliance.
Read this white paper


How effective is your backup solution? Answer a few simple questions and get a shot at winning a TomTom GPS!
Because the challenges of backing up, restoring, and recovering systems and applications are growing in scale and complexity, companies must employ a data backup solution that is flexible enough to support the latest server environments. To meet users’ demands for constant application availability, backup systems must also make the data recovery process fast and efficient. This challenge asks six simple, straightforward questions that can help you evaluate the effectiveness of your backup solution.

Take the challenge now to gauge your backup system and automatically enter to win a TomTom 720 GPS!


Solutions for Lowering the Total Cost of Ownership for Your Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence
Explore how SQL Server 2008 running on servers that use Intel Xeon 7400 series processors offers a trusted, cost-effective, and highly available data warehouse and BI platform that enables you to run your most demanding applications, reduce time and cost of application development and management, and deliver actionable insight to your entire organization. Join this live event and have your questions answered by Intel and Microsoft experts!



FEATURED WHITE PAPER
Is Unified Communications Compromising Your Data?
If your company isn't strictly monitoring employees' use of third-party communication applications, the company's intellectual property is in peril. This white paper examines methods through which unregulated use of communications applications can compromise a company's data, as well as solutions to prevent unauthorized access to corporate information. Read this white paper now to learn what you have to do to protect your company's assets.



ANNOUNCEMENTS
Last Chance for the PowerShell 201 eLearning Early Bird Discount!
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