Microsoft Gold-Certified Consultants

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 is a modern, self-hosted version of Microsoft's flagship RDBM platform. The marquee feature is the integration of SQL Server 2019 with Apache Spark, Hadoop Distributed File System, and other Linux-driven big data technologies to support Big Data Clusters. The Big Data Cluster supports data-intensive machine learning operations on the data stored in HDFS and Microsoft SQL Server 2019 storage pools. You can deploy Big Data Clusters as containers in self-hosted Kubernetes clusters, such as AKS on Azure Stack, or in a cloud with a managed Kubernetes service like Microsoft Azure AKS.

Microsoft SQL 2019 also delivers enhancements in the core SQL Server database engine like feature parity for Linux machines. Additional significant innovations improve SSAS and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).

Since SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 have arrived at end of support (EOS) status, migrating to a modern version of SQL Server is a priority for businesses worried about cybersecurity, manageability, and productivity. Progent has twenty years of experience designing, implementing, tuning, and troubleshooting SQL Server environments and can assist organizations of any size to carry out an efficient upgrade to SQL Server 2019. Progent's Microsoft Gold-certified Microsoft SQL Server experts can assist you to assess the advantages for upgrading to SQL Server 2019 from any earlier version of Microsoft SQL Server and Progent can provide quick online or on-premises access to top-tier consultants in solution architecture, application programming, DBA services, and cybersecurity. Progent can help your business to deploy SQL Server 2019 locally, in the cloud, or in a hybrid network model.

You can engage Progent's experts on an as-needed basis for jobs like design guidance or troubleshooting or you can receive comprehensive project management support to ensure your Microsoft SQL Server 2019 migration is completed on time and on budget. Progent can provide the skills of certified information security consultants, disaster recovery/business continuity preparedness specialists, and SQL database software designers and programmers to ensure your SQL Server 2019 deployment provides maximum return on investment.

Progent's Microsoft Gold-certified IT experts can also help your business to configure SQL Server 2019 to operate with other Microsoft apps and technologies by offering expertise that includes Microsoft Windows Server 2019 consulting services, Windows Hyper-V virtualization planning consulting, Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 planning and integration expertise, SharePoint 2019 development expertise, hybrid integration with Microsoft Azure cloud services, Skype for Business configuration expertise, Dynamics GP reporting expertise, and Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) consultants.

Progent's veteran software developers can help you to plan, produce, validate, install, and debug apps that use SQL Server 2019 and Progent can provide expertise in data modeling, OLTP, Data Warehousing and Mining, ETL, optimization, fault tolerance, backup/restore, analytics and reporting, and integration with Amazon MWS. To find out more about Progent's SQL Server development and debugging expertise, visit SQL Server software programming experts.

SQL Server 2019 Editions
SQL Server 2019 is available in five basic editions distinguished by price, performance, scale and licensing rules. Progent can help you decide which editions make sense for your needs, and Progent can also help you simplify license management.

SQL Server 2019 Enterprise is the top-of-the-line edition of Microsoft SQL Server 2019 and is intended for mission-critical business applications requiring the most advanced levels of expandability, reliability, and throughput. Compute power and memory permitted per database are bound only by the operating system limit, the amount of VMs supported is unlimited, and relational database size can be up to 524 PB. High availability features offered only on the Enterprise version of SQL Server 2019 include Always On availability groups for collective failover, online page restore, online index create, resumable online index rebuilds, fast recovery, and hot add memory and processor. Scalability and throughput functions exclusive to the Enterprise edition of Microsoft SQL Server 2019 include in-RAM database, partitioned table parallelism, automatic optimization, batch mode adaptive joins plus memory grant feedback. The Enterprise version of Microsoft SQL Server 2019 also offers a richer set of data warehousing services, Analysis Services and Advanced Integration Services than other editions.

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Developer edition is basically the same as the Enterprise edition, but is licensed for use exclusively for development and testing. The Developeredition is not permitted for use as a production system. SQL Server 2019 Developer allows only one client for SQL Server Distributed Replay.

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Standard edition is intended for departments and small organizations who require a basic, low-overhead platform for information management and business intelligence. Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Standard edition supports all the cybersecurity features of the Enterprise edition, but compute capacity is limited to the lesser of four sockets or 24 cores. For every instance of SQL Server Database Engine, the most RAM for the buffer pool cache is 128 GB, and maximum RAM-optimized data size is 32 GB. In contrast to the Enterprise edition, the Standard edition of Microsoft SQL Server 2019 does not come with advanced R and Python support and does not include Machine Learning Services, but includes the other programmability functions as well as the administration utilities provided with the Enterprise edition. High-end features such as accelerated database recovery and Big Data Clusters are provided with the Standard edition.

SQL Server 2019 Web version is an inexpensive option designed for web hosting organizations. Compute scale is restricted to the lesser of four sockets or 16 cores, maximum buffer pool memory is 64 MB, and maximum RAM is 64 GB. Unlike the Standard version of Microsoft SQL Server 2019, Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Web edition does not include Always On failover clusters, basic availability groups, or accelerated database recovery. The Web version also does not offer transparent database or backup encryption. You can profile SQL Server Web with SQL Server Enterprise or SQL Server Standard versions, and SQL Server Web comes with the other management tools included with the Standard edition. Analysis Services, tabular and multidimensional models, Business Intelligence Services, and certain Reporting Services are not included.

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Express, offered in several variants, is a no-cost entry-level version of Microsoft SQL Server intended for training or for creating desktop, bare-bones-server, and client applications that do not require an advanced database. Compute capacity is restricted to the smaller of 1 socket or four cores, maximum buffer pool cache memory is 1.41 MB, and top RAM-optimized data size is 352 MB. If applications developed with SQL Server 2019 Express expand to require more resources or additional features, you can upgrade smoothly to more powerful editions of SQL Server. Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Express with Advanced Services adds Basic R and SQL Graph integration, the distributed replay management utility, and SSDT. SQL Server 2019 Express with Advanced Services can also support a SQL Server Reporting Services database. SQL Server Express LocalDB is a trimmed down version of Express that operates in user mode and can be deployed without configuration and with almost no prerequisites. The LocalDB version of Express shares all the programmability functions of other Express releases but does not allow in-memory OLTP.

Components of Microsoft SQL Server 2019
The SQL Server 2019 Installation Wizard enables you to choose which of the SQL Server components you want to activate in your deployment. These elements include:

Database Engine
The Database Engine is the heart of SQL Server's services for processing, storing, and protecting data. The Database Engine is responsible for replication, search, utilities for managing relational and XML data, integrating in-database analytics, supporting PolyBase for working with external data sources such as Hadoop, and Machine Learning Services for processing SQL Server's relational data with Python and R scripts.

SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS)
SQL Analysis Services is an OLAP and data mining toolset for deriving useful information from data scattered over multiple databases or in various files or tables.

SQL Server Reporting Services
SSRS offers a set of on-premises tools and services that allow companies to create, share, and administer tabular, matrix, graphical, and free-form reports, both mobile and paginated. You can create device-aware mobile reports with the Mobile Report Publisher app and use integrated Power BI apps for mobile devices to access the data processed in SQL Server Reporting Services.

SQL Server Integration Services
Integration Services is a set of programmable objects and zero-code graphical tools for extracting and transforming data from a broad range of sources. ETL operations can be performed on XML data, text files, and relational data sources. Integration Services can be utilized for copying or downloading files, populating data warehouses, cleansing and mining data, and managing Microsoft SQL Server data.

Master Data Services (MDS)
Master Data Services (MDS) is Microsoft SQL Server's Master Data Management (MDM) solution that enables organizations to create a centralized view of corporate-wide data, synchronizing data sources to avoid duplication and tracking data organization models to preserve consistency. A Microsoft Excel extension makes it easy to publish the master data set throughout an organization.

In-Database Machine Learning Services
Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Machine Learning Services enables you to execute Python and R scripts using relational data sources without the need to move data out of SQL Server or over your network to another server. The Microsoft Python and R packages can be used for predictive analytics and machine learning.

New and Improved Features of SQL Server 2019
The headline new feature for SQL Server 2019 is Big Data Clusters, which enables you to process massive data sets from Transact-SQL or Spark for machine learning and AI solutions. Other new or enhanced features cover key areas such as the SQL Database Engine, feature equivalence between Microsoft SQL Server on Linux and SQL Server on Windows, SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), and SQL Server Reporting Services.

Big Data Clusters
trusted execution environment Server 2019 debuts the Big Data Cluster, a cluster of Linux containers orchestrated by Kubernetes. The Big Data Cluster enables you to configure and run scalable clusters in interrelated SQL Server, Apache Spark, and HDFS containers orchestrated by Kubernetes. Because these components can run concurrently, The Big Data Clusters feature allows you to analyze big data from Microsoft Transact-SQL or Apache Spark and makes it easy to combine and analyze your internal SQL Server relational data with unstructured big data. Implementation scenarios include data virtualization for querying outside data silos without transferring or copying the data, data lakes created with HDFS storage pools to house big data, and scale-out data marts to spread data from various sources across multiple data pool nodes. You can utilize Spark or integrated R, Python, Scala, and Java tools in Microsoft SQL Server 2019 for machine learning jobs on the data stored in HDFS storage pools.

Other Improvements to the SQL Server 2019 Database Engine
Other improvements to the Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Database Engine cover smart databases, the developer environment, cybersecurity, high-availability, and Linux/Windows feature parity. Improvements to the Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Database Engine include:

• Intelligent Query Processing (IQP) improves the responsiveness of your current applications and is activated by default on the current database compatibility level setting. Enhancements include row mode memory grant feedback, batch mode execution without requiring columnstore indexes, automatic transformation of scalar UDFs into relational expressions, and approximate query processing.
• Enhanced In-Memory Database technologies leverage contemporary hardware to improve performance and scale with new capabilities such as direct access of persistent memory (PMEM) devices, reduced Metadata contention in TempDB, and the ability to create snapshots of databases that include memory-optimized filegroups.
• Intelligent performance improvements in Microsoft SQL Server 2019 address typical bottlenecks and provide database configuration alternatives to ensure more consistent responsiveness across all applications. Improvements include optimization for indexes prone to high-concurrency inserts, Query Store plan forcing ability for fast forward and static Transact-SQL and API cursors, more granular control for configuring memory limits for resource governance, reduction in incidents of unnecessary recompilations, improved scalability for indirect checkpoint, improved concurrent updates for PFS, and scheduler worker migration for evenly distributed CPU utilization.
• Improvements to the developer environment include table and index partitioning for graph tables, support for UTF-8 import and export encoding, a new Java language software development kit (SDK), new spatial reference identifiers more closely aligned with global positioning systems, and more verbose error messages to simplify debugging truncation problems in unsuccessful extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes.
• Cybersecurity improvements include the Always Encrypted feature with secure enclaves, which enables operations on plaintext data inside the trusted execution environment of a secure enclave on the server side rather than being restricted to on the client. This avoids the need to move data in and out of the database for processes like key rotation, which increases cryptographic speed. Also, certificate infrastructure management is built into the SQL Server Configuration Manager. This simplifies tasks such as viewing and verifying SSL/TLS certificates, managing certificates close to expiration, and deploying certificates across machines within Availability Groups and Failover Clusters. An integrated Data Discovery and Classification feature helps you to categorize and label columns in user tables. This can help you find where sensitive information resides and to follow data privacy standards and compliance regulations.

• For improved HA, Microsoft SQL Server 2019 ups the max number of synchronous replicas within an Availability Group (AG) from 3 to 5. You can configure this group of five replicas with automatic failover within the group. You can have a primary replica along with four synchronous secondary replicas within a group. Also, secondary to primary replica R/W connection redirection for Always On AGs allows client application connections to be directed to the primary replica no matter what target server is specified in the connections string. This feature adds replica connection redirection for implementations that are without an AG listener as with a multi-subnet deployment in the cloud.
• The SQL Server Database Engine database recovery process has been re-architected in Microsoft SQL Server 2019 to include the Accelerated Database Recovery feature. This feature substantially shortens the time needed to finish a database recovery following a failover or other disorderly shut down. Accelerated Database Recovery also shrinks the time it takes to complete rollback of canceled long-running transactions.
• Microsoft SQL Server on Linux approximates reaching feature parity with SQL Server on Windows with the addition of new SQL Server on Linux functions such as replications services, the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC), OpenLDAP for third-party AD providers, Python and R Machine Learning Services, PolyBase, Change Data Capture, plus improved scale in TempDB file size and auto growth.

Enhancements to SQL Server 2019 Reporting Services (SSRS)
Enhancements to SQL Server 2019 Reporting Services include:

• Support for Azure SQL Managed Instance allows you to host a database catalog for SQL Server 2019 Reporting Services in an Azure SQL MI hosted either in a VM or on-premises. You must use database credentials for the connection to SQL MI.
• Support for connecting to Power BI datasets using Microsoft Report Builder or SSDT. You can then publish those reports to SSRS 2019 by utilizing SQL Server 2019 Analysis Services (SSAS) connectivity.
• Azure Active Directory Application Proxy support eliminates the need to manage your own web application proxy in order to allow secure connectivity through the web or via mobile apps.
• SQL Server 2019 works with Transparent Database Encryption for the SQL Server 2019 Reporting Services catalog database for both Enterprise and Standard editions.

Progent's SQL Server experts can assist you to port your data and applications, configure test systems to validate SQL Server 2019's ability to run your business-critical applications, streamline management, create and implement a company-wide security plan that complies with government and industry requirements, accommodate mobile devices, and create and test a disaster recovery/business continuity plan that takes advantage of the modern HA features built into SQL Server 2019.

Expertise available from Progent for SQL Server 2019 include:

• Project Management and Co-management: Progent can provide project management and co-management consulting services to help you to adhere to leading practices to make sure your SQL Server 2019 initiative is carried out on schedule and within budget. Project offers the services of top-tier consultants to help with any aspect project management such as requirements analysis, preparedness assessment, system design, upgrade planning, building pilot environments, implementation, optimization, documentation, training, administration, and on-demand online or onsite advice and troubleshooting.
• Database Migration: Progent's seasoned Database Administration experts can provide consulting supportfor all releases of Microsoft SQL Server, including end-of-support (EOS) releases such as SQL Server 2008. Progent also offers Oracle expertise, MySQL solution design and programming, and Microsoft Access consulting. Progent has 20 years of experience delivering database consulting expertise and can assist you to port your databases and applications to SQL Server 2019 rapidly and affordably.
• Integration with Other Microsoft Applications: Microsoft's vast catalog of enterprise applications, operating systems, development environments, management utilities, and IT services rely on SQL Server as their core database technology. Progent's Microsoft Gold-certified consultants can assist you to deploy Microsoft SQL Server 2019 efficiently with additional Microsoft apps by offering services such as Windows Server 2019 migration consulting, SharePoint Server 2019 application design, Power BI reporting training and support, Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 migration consulting and Microsoft 365 Exchange Online hybrid integration consulting, and Active Directory planning and troubleshooting.
• Business Intelligence (BI) and Custom Reporting: Progent's business intelligence (BI) and custom reporting experts can assist you to utilize Microsoft's business Intelligence (BI) stack to create and share BI reports that can be accessed securely via any endpoint. Progent can help you create PowerPivot models and utilize Microsoft SQL SSAS 2019 to process tabular databases. Progent's Power BI experts can help you to connect to Power BI datasets using Microsoft Report Builder or SQL Server Data Tools and publish reports to SQL Server Reporting Services by using SQL Server Analysis Services connections. Progent's consultants can also assist your company to integrate Microsoft SQL Server 2019 with third-party BI reporting products such as or upgrade from out-of-date reporting products like FRx.
• Network Infrastructure: Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE network infrastructure consultants can help you to design, deploy, administer, and protect a high-availability and high-performance network architecture for your Microsoft SQL Server 2019 ecosystem. Progent can assist you plan and implement an efficient infrastructure for any network model including onsite or hybrid.
• Cybersecurity and Compliance: Progent's cybersecurity and compliance consultants have earned prestigious information security certifications such as CISM, CISSP and GIAC. Progent can provide organizations of all sizes a range of cybersecurity services covering vulnerability assessment, improvements, mitigation, and monitoring services to counter known and new malware assaults like ransomware and to validate compliance with government and industry requirements.
• Virtualization Expertise: Progent can assist your business to design and implement a cost-effective and easy-to-manage virtualization solution for Microsoft SQL Server 2019 and offers access to certified Windows Hyper-V consulting experts, VMware vSphere and vCloud experts, VMware NSX-certified virtualization consulting experts, and Citrix XenServer consulting experts to assist your business to configure and maintain a virtualized IT system.
• ProSight Remote Monitoring and Management Services: Progent provides a family of affordable, fixed-price services designed to allow small and mid-size businesses to benefit from the same advanced IT solutions used by many of the industry's leading enterprises. The ProSight line of network monitoring and management services addresses all key facets of modern networking including email protection, security and compliance, automated backup and disaster recovery, infrastructure management, VM cloud hosting, and IT resources documentation management.
• Disaster Business Continuity Preparedness: Progent's disaster preparedness consultants can assist your organization to develop and validate a disaster recovery strategy that utilizes SQL Server 2019's high-availability features to maximize network uptime and shorten restore time for mission-critical applications and services. Progent's business continuity planning experts can help your company to develop and test a detailed plan to keep your core business processes running in the event of a catastrophe. The business continuity strategy deals with network issues but also covers the logistics associated with issues like emergency notification systems and procedures, temporary office space, and regulatory mandates for reporting.
• Remote Guidance and Debugging: Progent has two decades of experience delivering advanced consulting, software programming, and troubleshooting services remotely. Access to remote IT support helps you to reduce the costs and delay of network disruptions. Progent has delivered remote IT support to organizations of all sizes in every state in the U.S. Refer to Progent's customer testimonials.) Progent can also provide on-site expertise in most metro areas throughout the U.S. and Canada.

If you require immediate online help from a Microsoft-certified expert, see Progent's Remote IT Technical Support.

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