Azure SQL – Change your Skills – DataSaturday #6 Malta

Yesterday I was able to give my speech as part of DataSaturday #6 in Malta. It was about changes in the life of a DBA when he is confronted with the fact that his SQL servers and/or databases should be migrated to the Microsoft Cloud Azure. With this session, I wanted to minimize the fears and show that Azure SQL is “only” a SQL server or an SQL database.

In contrast to all other events, Dennes (and his team) had come up with something new in the process. The session did not have 60 minutes but 90 minutes. The first 15 minutes were used as an interview or introduction, the host introduced the speaker, a small video was produced for this, and individual questions were prepared on the respective curriculum vitae of the speaker. Then the speech took place over a full 60 minutes, followed by another 15 minutes for Q&A from the participants, or the host could ask the relevant questions himself. A successful solution led the talk more like a conversation and reduced the “pressure” a little, and I (hopefully also as a participant) felt more part of it.

My host was Deepthi Goguri; I had a lot of fun holding this session with her. Even if this wasn’t my first lecture in English, I am still a little more nervous … I find the right words at the right moment, I pronounce everything correctly … Thanks to the calm and friendly nature of Deepthi, I became more relaxed and could prepare myself a little better for the session. Didn’t help to get over the fact that I wanted to tell and show more than I had time; I have to work on it urgently! Two years ago, I talked to Rob Sewell that I primarily wanted to leave my comfort zone => not only to give lectures in German but start with English and whether he could support me in my start – as a mentor, so to speak. And then Corona came, and everything turned out differently … I just jumped and dared … which brings us back to the topic. 😉

Just dare and try

Deepthi asked me yesterday what I would recommend to the participants if the client or employer wanted to start migrating to the cloud. I can only recommend anyone interested not to be afraid, just because the SQL Server is no longer in your own data center. Still, now in a Microsoft data center, this does not mean that Microsoft will take over all the work and you – as the database administrator – has nothing more to do anymore… ok, you have to learn something new and think a little bit different, but it’s still a SQL Server with its databases!
The first steps could be the following:

• create an Azure Free Account
• just deploy a free Linux VM and try out how to install a SQL server there 
• or an Azure SQL Database to see which steps you have to take to achieve this 
• and of course, all the great resources of Microsoft Learn – Learning Paths and Modules with lots of content and exercises
  Azure Fundamentals – AZ-900
  Azure Data Fundamentals – DP-900
• If you have additional questions about the particular topics, you can also read the handy documentation, which often helps me better understand specific issues.

Various learning guides for Azure SQL available

Microsoft – mainly in Anna Hoffman and Bob Ward – also provides many interactive learning materials that can be formed in workshops, labs, or YouTube videos! There is material for several weeks of continuous learning about the SQL Server and/or Azure SQL … regardless of whether Azure SQL Database or the Managed Instance or as a SQL Server VM in Azure. Here you just have to start and try it out, don’t be afraid … it’s not magic. It’s actually quite simple because you can put everything together yourself as you need it. 😉

Here are my slides from this talk:
Azure SQL – Change your skills to become a cloud DBA

And if you want to read something about Azure SQL Database, you can, of course either do so in my blog here or in the relatively new blog post on Azure SQL by Deepthi. 😉