In this post, I have shared some quick tips on Azure Automation, including Q/A and useful links from the Day 6 live session of our current batch of Azure Database Administrator Training Program [DP-300]. We have covered some topics like Azure Automation and Implementing HA & DR.
On our Day 5 Live Session, we have covered interesting topics like SQL Server Query Plans, Explore Performance-based Database Design, Evaluate Performance Improvements.
On our Day 6 Live Session of the [DP-300] Microsoft Database Administrator Training Program, we covered the concepts of Azure Automation, Azure Policy, Recovery time objective, and Recovery point objective, Plan and Implement High Availability, and Disaster Recovery Environment.
Frequently Asked Questions On Azure Automation, HA & DR
Q.1 What are Azure Resource Manager Templates?
An ARM template is a JavaScript Object Notation file that describes the Azure Resources to be deployed within it. ARM templates provide a declarative syntax to interact with the Azure API. ARM templates can be deployed through PowerShell, Azure CLI, and Azure DevOps pipelines Azure Automation
Q.2 What are Declarative and Imperative Deployments?
- Declarative Models use code to describe resources that are being deployed. A simple example of this is that a create table statement in T-SQL is declarative.
- Imperative Deployments define prescriptive tasks for the target system to execute. A simple example of the imperative is executing a PowerShell script.
Q.3 What is SQL Server Agent?
The SQL Server Agent provides automation for SQL Server and Azure SQL Managed Instance. The SQL Server Agent also provides notifications for both job failures and alerts that are written to the error log The service can also be configured to notify administrators.
Q.4 What are the best practices for maintenance plans.
- Do Not Use the Database Shrink task
- Stagger backups across servers and large databases to avoid potentially overwhelming your storage account or storage device
- Create separate maintenance plans for each set of maintenance activities
Q.5 What are extended events?
Extended Events are a lightweight and extensive diagnostic system that is built into the SQL Server engine Extended Events are supported on all the Azure SQL platforms Event sessions can be used to trace activity within the database which can help you troubleshoot issues like:
- Blocking and deadlocking performance issues
- Identify long-running queries
- Observing Memory Pressure in your database
Q.6 What is Azure Policy?
Azure Policy is used by administrators to ensure consistency across an Azure environment. The Azure Policy can be used to enforce naming conditions, limit the types of Azure resources deployed in a subscription, or limit the Azure regions where deployment is allowed.
Q.7 What is Azure Automation?
Azure Automation allows you to create regularly scheduled tasks that run against any Azure resource or even on-premises virtual machines. Azure Automation allows you to perform maintenance activities against Azure SQL Database.
Q.8 Name the Azure Automation components.
- Runbooks: Runbooks are the unit of execution in Azure Automation and may be created using PowerShell or Python. You have the option of deploying graphical Runbooks, but they are limited in their capabilities.
- Modules: In order to execute PowerShell cmdlets within your Runbooks, you need to ensure the modules for the cmdlet you need are loaded into your automation account.
- Credentials: Store sensitive information like passwords for use by Runbooks.
- Schedules: allow for Runbooks to be scheduled for regular execution.
Q.9 What are Recovery Time Objective and Recovery Point Objective?
- Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is defined as the maximum amount of time to get a database or system up and running after an outage or problem.
- Recovery Point Objective (RPO) represents the maximum amount of data loss that is acceptable to the business RPO is the point in time to which a database needs to be recovered.
Q.10 What is Backup to and restore from URL.
This process is used to backups SQL Server databases directly to or restore from Azure blob storage. Backup to URL can be used by on-premises as well as laaS instances. You can backup to use geo-replicated storage accounts which offer another layer of data protection.
Feedback Received…
Here is some positive feedback from our trainees who attended the session:
Read more about the DP-300 Certification and whether it is the right certification for you, from our blog on Exam DP-300: Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Associate.
Quiz Time (Sample Exam Questions)!
With our Azure Database Administrator Training Program, we cover 200+ sample exam questions to help you prepare for the DP-300 Certification.
Check out one of the questions and see if you can crack this…
Ques: Your company has an Azure SQL database named domaindb. This database is hosted on Microsoft SQL Server hosted on an Azure virtual machine. Azure Automation You have to ensure that in the event of a regional outage, you can restore the database backups. The solution has to minimize costs. Which of the following should you choose as the underlying replication type for the storage account?
A. Locally-redundant storage (LRS)
B. Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
C. Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
D. Geo-redundant storage
Related/References
- Exam DP-300: Microsoft Azure Database Administrator Associate
- Microsoft Certified Azure Database Administrator Associate(Hands-On Labs)
- [DP-300] Day5 Q/A Review – Understanding SQL Server Query Plans
- [DP-300] Day4 Q/A Review – Monitor And Optimize Operational Resources
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