SQL Server Performance Blog where milliseconds matter

Hi guys, I know, we already talked about Intel QuickAssist Technology when we talked about the new features that the new SQL Server 2022 introduces . Briefly, using this technology  we are able to offload specific SQL Server workloads to hardware devices such as compressing a backup . Yes, additional hardware is needed, but even without it we can still use this techonology because in this case QAT driver will use your CPU todo the work. So this time is the right time for a benchmark! Intro Compressing a backup is a good idea because data inside a backup file (and even inside a database) is highly compressible, while overhead due to the compression time is usually acceptable. When you backup a database you can choose to compress data that will be written inside the backup file.  To do this just add the COMPRESSION option to the BACKUP T-SQL command: Starting from SQL server 16.x (SQL 2022) the syntax is slightly changed and you can choose the compression algorithm used. By de...

Hi guys, We don’t usually talk about security, but I think it’s a good idea to keep your eyes open and stay informed. A new malware named Maggie has been found by the Security researchers Johann Aydinbas and Axel Wauer from the DCSO CyTec. Maggie has already infected over 250 Microsoft SQL servers worldwide although the most infected instances are found in South Korea, India, Vietnam, China, Russia, Thailand, Germany, and finally the United States. An analysis of this new backdoor revealed that it disguises as an Extended Stored Procedure DLL whoose name is SQLMaggieAntivirus_64.dll dated 2022–04–12. and digitally signed by DEEPSoft Co. Ltd, a company that appears to be based in South Korea. Maggie introduces a series of commands that an attacker can use to attack a SQL Server istance. For example Brute-forcing admin passwords can be executed through the commands “SqlScan” and “WinSockScan”.   That'all for today! Stay tuned and have a great week! Luca   Previous post : Databa...