Indexes play an important role in enabling SQL Server to retrieve data from a database quickly and efficiently. This module discusses advanced index topics including covering indexes, the INCLUDE clause, query hints, padding and fill factor, statistics, using DMOs, the Database Tuning Advisor, and Query Store.

Lessons

Index Strategies
Managing Indexes
Execution Plans
The Database Engine Tuning Advisor
Query Store

Lab : Optimizing Indexes

Using Query Store
Heaps and Clustered Indexes
Creating a Covered Index

After completing this module, you will be able to:

What a covering index is, and when to use one.
The issues involved in managing indexes.
Actual and estimated execution plans.
How to use the Database Tuning Advisor to improve the performance of queries.
How to use the Query Store to improve query performance.

Module 7: Columnstore Indexes

Introduced in Microsoft SQL Server 2012, columnstore indexes are used in large data warehouse solutions by many organizations. This module highlights the benefits of using these indexes on large datasets; the improvements made to columnstore indexes in SQL Server 2016, and the considerations needed to use columnstore indexes effectively in your solutions.

Lessons

Introduction to Columnstore Indexes
Creating Columnstore Indexes
Working with Columnstore Indexes

Lab : Using Columnstore Indexes

Creating a Columnstore Index
Create a Memory Optimized Columnstore Table

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Describe columnstore indexes and identify suitable scenarios for their use.
Create clustered and nonclustered columnstore indexes.
Describe considerations for using columnstore indexes.

Module 8: Designing and Implementing Views

This module describes the design and implementation of views. A view is a special type of query—one that is stored and can be used in other queries—just like a table. With a view, only the query definition is stored on disk; not the result set. The only exception to this is indexed views, when the result set is also stored on disk, just like a table. Views simplify the design of a database by providing a layer of abstraction and hiding the complexity of the table joins. Views are also a way of securing your data by giving users permission to use a view, without giving them permissions to the underlying objects. This means data can be kept private, and can only be viewed by appropriate users.

Lessons

Introduction to Views
Creating and Managing Views
Performance Considerations for Views

Lab : Designing and Implementing Views

Creating Standard Views
Creating an Updateable view

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Understand the role of views in database design.
Create and manage views.
Understand the performance considerations with views.

Module 9: Designing and Implementing Stored Procedures
This module describes the design and implementation of stored procedures.

Lessons

Introduction to Stored Procedures
Working with Stored Procedures
Implementing Parameterized Stored Procedures
Controlling Execution Context

Lab: Designing and Implementing Stored Procedures

Create Stored procedures
Create Parameterized Stored procedures
Changes Stored Procedure Execution Context

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Understand what stored procedures are, and what benefits they have.
Design, create and alter stored procedures.
Control the execution context of stored procedures.
Implement stored procedures that use parameters.

Module 10: Designing and Implementing User-Defined Functions
Functions are routines that you use to encapsulate frequently performed logic. Rather than having to repeat the function logic in many places, code can call the function. This makes code more maintainable, and easier to debug. In this module, you will learn to design and implement user-defined functions (UDFs) that enforce business rules or data consistency. You will also learn how to modify and maintain existing functions.

Lessons

Overview of Functions
Designing and Implementing Scalar Functions
Designing and Implementing Table-Valued Functions
Considerations for Implementing Functions
Alternatives to Functions

Lab : Designing and Implementing User-Defined Functions

Format Phone numbers
Modify an Existing Function

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Describe different types of functions.
Design and implement scalar functions.
Design and implement table-valued functions (TVFs).
Describe considerations for implementing functions.
Describe alternatives to functions.

Module 11: Responding to Data Manipulation via Triggers
Data Manipulation Language (DML) triggers are powerful tools that you can use to enforce domain, entity, referential data integrity and business logic. The enforcement of integrity helps you to build reliable applications. In this module, you will learn what DML triggers are, how they enforce data integrity, the different types of trigger that are available to you, and how to define them in your database.

Lessons

Designing DML Triggers
Implementing DML Triggers
Advanced Trigger Concepts

Lab : Responding to Data Manipulation by Using Triggers

Create and Test the Audit Trigger
Improve the Audit Trigger

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Design DML triggers
Implement DML triggers
Explain advanced DML trigger concepts, such as nesting and recursion.

Module 12: Using In-Memory Tables
Microsoft SQL Server 2014 data management software introduced in-memory online transaction processing (OLTP) functionality features to improve the performance of OLTP workloads. SQL Server adds several enhancements, such as the ability to alter a memory-optimized table without recreating it. Memory-optimized tables are primarily stored in memory, which provides the improved performance by reducing hard disk access. Natively compiled stored procedures further improve performance over traditional interpreted Transact-SQL.

Lessons

Memory-Optimized Tables
Natively Compiled Stored Procedures

Lab : Using In-Memory Database Capabilities

Using Memory-Optimized Tables
Using Natively Compiled Stored procedures

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Use memory-optimized tables to improve performance for latch-bound workloads.
Use natively compiled stored procedures.

Module 13: Implementing Managed Code in SQL Server
As a SQL Server professional, you are likely to be asked to create databases that meet business needs. Most requirements can be met using Transact-SQL. However, occasionally you may need additional capabilities that can only be met by using common language runtime (CLR) code. As functionality is added to SQL Server with each new release, the necessity to use managed code decreases. However, there are times when you might need to create aggregates, stored procedures, triggers, user-defined functions, or user-defined types. You can use any .NET Framework language to develop these objects. In this module, you will learn how to use CLR managed code to create user-defined database objects for SQL Server.

Lessons

Introduction to CLR Integration in SQL Server
Implementing and Publishing CLR Assemblies

Lab : Implementing Managed Code in SQL Server

Assessing Proposed CLR Code
Creating a Scalar-Valued CLR Function
Creating a Table Valued CLR Function

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Explain the importance of CLR integration in SQL Server.
Implement and publish CLR assemblies using SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT).

Module 14: Storing and Querying XML Data in SQL Server
XML provides rules for encoding documents in a machine-readable form. It has become a widely adopted standard for representing data structures, rather than sending unstructured documents. Servers that are running Microsoft SQL Server data management software often need to use XML to interchange data with other systems; many SQL Server tools provide an XML-based interface. SQL Server offers extensive handling of XML, both for storage and querying. This module introduces XML, shows how to store XML data within SQL Server, and shows how to query the XML data. The ability to query XML data directly avoids the need to extract data into a relational format before executing Structured Query Language (SQL) queries. To effectively process XML, you need to be able to query XML data in several ways: returning existing relational data as XML, and querying data that is already XML.

Lessons

Introduction to XML and XML Schemas
Storing XML Data and Schemas in SQL Server
Implementing the XML Data Type
Using the Transact-SQL FOR XML Statement
Getting Started with XQuery
Shredding XML

Lab : Storing and Querying XML Data in SQL Server

Determining when to use XML
Testing XML Data Storage in Variables
Using XML Schemas
Using FOR XML Queries
Creating a Stored Procedure to Return XML

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Describe XML and XML schemas.
Store XML data and associated XML schemas in SQL Server.
Implement XML indexes within SQL Server.
Use the Transact-SQL FOR XML statement.
Work with basic XQuery queries.

Module 15: Storing and Querying Spatial Data in SQL Server
This module describes spatial data and how this data can be implemented within SQL Server.

Lessons

Introduction to Spatial Data
Working with SQL Server Spatial Data Types
Using Spatial Data in Applications

Lab : Working with SQL Server Spatial Data

Become Familiar with the Geometry Data Type
Add Spatial Data to an Existing Table
Find Nearby Locations

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Describe how spatial data can be stored in SQL Server
Use basic methods of the GEOMETRY and GEOGRAPHY data types
Query databases containing spatial data

Module 16: Storing and Querying BLOBs and Text Documents in SQL Server
Traditionally, databases have been used to store information in the form of simple values—such as integers, dates, and strings—that contrast with more complex data formats, such as documents, spreadsheets, image files, and video files. As the systems that databases support have become more complex, administrators have found it necessary to integrate this more complex file data with the structured data in database tables. For example, in a product database, it can be helpful to associate a product record with the service manual or instructional videos for that product. SQL Server provides several ways to integrate these files—that are often known as Binary Large Objects (BLOBs)—and enable their content to be indexed and included in search results. In this module, you will learn how to design and optimize a database that includes BLOBs.

Lessons

Considerations for BLOB Data
Working with FILESTREAM
Using Full-Text Search

Lab : Storing and Querying BLOBs and Text Documents in SQL Server

Enabling and Using FILESTREAM Columns
Enabling and Using File Tables
Using a Full-Text Index

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Describe the considerations for designing databases that incorporate BLOB data.
Describe the benefits and design considerations for using FILESTREAM to store BLOB data on a Windows file system.
Describe the benefits of using full-text indexing and Semantic Search, and explain how to use these features to search SQL Server data, including unstructured data

Module 17: SQL Server Concurrency
This module explains how to name, declare, assign values to, and use variables. It also describes how to store data in an array. Concurrency control is a critical feature of multiuser database systems; it allows data to remain consistent when many users are modifying data at the same time. This module covers the implementation of concurrency in Microsoft SQL Server. You will learn about how SQL Server implements concurrency controls and the different ways you can configure and work with concurrency settings.

Lessons

Concurrency and Transactions
Locking Internals

Lab : SQL Server Concurrency

Implement Snapshot Isolation
Implement Partition Level Locking

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Describe concurrency and transactions in SQL Server.
Describe SQL Server locking.

Module 18: Performance and Monitoring
This module explains how to name, declare, assign values to, and use variables. It also describes how to store data in an array. This module looks at how to measure and monitor the performance of your SQL Server databases. The first two lessons look at SQL Server Extended Events, a flexible, lightweight event-handling system built into the Microsoft SQL Server Database Engine. These lessons focus on the architectural concepts, troubleshooting strategies, and usage scenarios.

Lessons

Extended Events
Working with extended Events
Live Query Statistics
Optimize Database File Configuration
Metrics

Lab : Monitoring, Tracing, and Baselining

Collecting and Analyzing Data Using Extended Events
Implementing Baseline Methodology

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Understand Extended Events and how to use them.
Work with Extended Events.
Understand Live Query Statistics.
Optimize the file configuration of your databases.
Use DMVs and Performance Monitor to create baselines and gather performance metrics.

Schedules for Developing SQL Databases 2016