Configuring Azure SQL Managed Instance for enhanced scalability and performance is an essential aspect of DV-300 Microsoft Azure SQL Solutions administration. Azure SQL Managed Instances provide a fully managed SQL Server Database engine, capable of handling demanding workloads while providing intelligent performance and scalability.
Improving Azure SQL Managed Instance Performance
The performance of Azure SQL Managed Instance can be improved via multiple ways, including adjusting service tiers and hardware, utilizing Intelligent Insights, and using Azure Monitor for SQL.
Adjusting Service Tiers and Hardware
Different service tiers in Azure SQL Managed Offer offer different levels of performance. These tiers include:
- General Purpose: Interpreted as a balanced offering, delivering compute sizes equivalent to 8 vCores up to 80 vCores. This tier is suitable for most business workloads.
- Business Critical: Provides the highest resilience to failures and fast failover, suitable for applications needing high throughput and low latency, supporting compute sizes of 4 vCores to 80 vCores.
To adjust these service tiers and the associated compute and storage resources, navigate to the Azure portal, select your managed instance, and adjust the configuration based on your requirements.
Utilizing Intelligent Insights
Intelligent Insights automatically monitors database usage patterns and identifies disruptive events that might affect the performance. These insights will assist you in diagnosing and resolving performance issues.
Using Azure Monitor for SQL
Azure Monitor provides full-stack observability across your databases in Azure. It includes built-in data diagnostics, making it easier to troubleshoot and maximize the performance of your databases.
Scaling Azure SQL Managed Instances
Higher demand for processing power or storage can be catered to by scaling Azure SQL Managed Instances. Azure offers two scaling dimensions:
- Compute Scale: Azure offers capabilities from “General Purpose: 8 vCores” to “Business Critical: 80 vCores” to cater to various levels of performance requirements.
- Storage Scale: Each tier offers a certain amount of storage, “General Purpose” offering up to 8 TB, and “Business Critical” offering up to 4 TB.
Scaling can either be done via the Azure portal or using the Azure PowerShell and Azure CLI. The specific commands for both methods will depend on your current Azure setup and the service tier you are targeting.
Conclusion
In sum, configuring Azure SQL Managed Instance for scale and performance involves the adjustment of service tiers, utilization of intelligent insights, and deployment of Azure Monitor for SQL. Also, it requires effective use of Azure’s compute and storage scaling capabilities. Proper adjustment and utilization of these features in response to changing needs allow for optimal performance and scalability.
Practice Test
True or False: Azure SQL Managed Instance allows you to scale both compute and storage resources independently.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure SQL Managed Instance allows independent scaling of compute (vCores) and storage resources, providing flexibility to adjust resources based on requirements.
Which of the following options can be used to monitor the performance of Azure SQL Managed Instance? (Multiple Select)
- A. Azure Monitor
- B. Performance Dashboard
- C. Query Store
- D. SQL Server Management Studio
Answer: A, B, C, D
Explanation: All of the mentioned options can be used to monitor the performance of Azure SQL Managed Instance.
SQL Managed Instance only supports vertical scaling.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure SQL Managed Instance supports both vertical scaling (increasing the compute power of an existing instance) and horizontal scaling (increasing the number of instances).
In Azure SQL Managed Instance, the maximum storage size limit is 8 TB.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure SQL Managed Instance supports a maximum storage size of up to 35 TB.
Azure SQL Managed Instance requires a virtual network for deployment.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure SQL Managed Instances are deployed within a dedicated subnet in an Azure Virtual Network.
Which one of the following cannot be adjusted in Azure SQL Managed Instance for scalability?
- A. CPU
- B. RAM
- C. SSD Storage
- D. Disk I/O
Answer: C. SSD Storage
Explanation: Azure SQL Managed Instance does not provide an option to directly adjust SSD storage.
True or False: Azure SQL Managed Instance can support workloads from 3640 vCores.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure SQL Managed Instance can support workloads up to 80 vCores.
Which one of the following service tiers is best for high-performance production workloads in Azure SQL Managed Instance?
- A. Basic
- B. Standard
- C. Premium
- D. Business Critical
Answer: D. Business Critical
Explanation: The Business Critical tier is designed for high-performance production workloads, offering high resilience to failures and fast recovery.
True or False: Read-scale option can be used to offload read-only workloads to a separate compute node in Azure SQL Managed Instance.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: The read-scale option allows the offloading of read-only queries to a separate compute node, improving performance for read-intensive workloads.
In Azure SQL Managed Instance, the buffer pool extension is only supported on the Business Critical service tier.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: The buffer pool extension, which extends the SQL buffer pool to non-volatile storage, is only supported on the Business Critical service tier of Azure SQL Managed Instance.
Multiple SQL Managed Instances can be grouped together in an instance pool for cost-saving.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: An instance pool is a compute resource that you can use to host multiple managed instances at a lower cost than hosting separate instances.
True or False: You can pause an Azure SQL Managed Instance during periods of inactivity to save costs.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Unlike Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance cannot be paused to save costs during periods of inactivity.
Interview Questions
What is Azure SQL Managed Instance?
Azure SQL Managed Instance is a fully managed SQL Server instance that provides near 100% compatibility with the latest SQL Server database engine.
How do you scale up an Azure SQL Managed Instance?
To scale up an Azure SQL Managed Instance, you need to go to the Azure portal, select the Managed Instance that you want to scale, and adjust its compute and storage settings. Once you initiate the scaling operation, Azure will create a new instance with new settings and will switch all connections to the new instance when it’s ready.
Describe how to scale out an Azure SQL managed instance.
Azure SQL Managed Instance currently does not support built-in scale-out features. However, you can implement application-level sharding or use Azure’s elastic pools to scale out your Azure SQL Managed Instances.
What performance tier options are available with Azure SQL Managed Instance?
Azure SQL Managed Instance offers two service tiers – General Purpose and Business Critical. General Purpose is designed for budget-oriented workloads, while Business Critical is designed for high-performance and low-latency workloads.
How is the performance of an Azure SQL Managed Instance measured?
The performance of an Azure SQL Managed Instance is measured in terms of vCores and storage size. The number of vCores determines the amount of compute power and memory, while the storage size determines the maximum data size that can be stored.
What is the difference between vCores and DTUs in Azure SQL Managed Instances?
vCores and DTUs are units of measure to reflect the performance of Azure SQL Managed Instances. vCores represent virtual cores, similar to CPUs in a physical machine. DTUs represent Database Transaction Units, a blended measure of CPU, I/O, and memory potential.
Can you alter the vCore settings of your Azure SQL Managed Instance after it has been created?
Yes, you can change the vCore settings of your Azure SQL Managed Instance after it has been created by scaling up or down the instance from the Azure portal.
Can a paused Azure SQL Managed Instance be scaled?
No, an Azure SQL Managed Instance must be active in order to be scaled. A paused instance should first be resumed before it can be scaled.
Can you switch between Business Critical and General Purpose service tiers for an Azure SQL Managed Instance without downtime?
You can switch between service tiers, but the operation will cause some downtime because Azure needs to create a new instance with the new service tier and then switch all the connections to the new instance.
How many maximum concurrent workers can be set for an Azure SQL Managed Instance in the Business Critical tire?
In the Business Critical tier, the number of maximum concurrent workers can be up to 6400 based on your vCore configuration.
Does changing the scale of an Azure SQL Managed Instance cause downtime?
Yes, changing the scale of an Azure SQL Managed Instance causes some downtime as Azure needs to create a new instance with the new scale and then switch over to it.
What happens to the existing connections during the scaling operation of an Azure SQL Managed Instance?
During the scaling operation, existing connections to the database continue to remain active until the switch to the new instance. At that point, all active connections are dropped and need to be re-established.
What is a good method for reducing the amount of downtime during scaling operations on an Azure SQL Managed Instance?
Implementing retry logic in the application level is a good method to deal with the transient connectivity issues during scaling operations on an Azure SQL Managed Instance.
What are the storage size limits for General Purpose and Business Critical Azure SQL Managed instances?
For General Purpose tire it’s up to 8 TB and for Business Critical tire it’s up to 4 TB.
If I need to perform a large-scale data loading operation in my Azure SQL Managed Instance, what should I consider?
For optimal performance, you should consider scaling up your Azure SQL Managed Instance before the data loading and scaling it back down after the operation completes. This would provide additional compute and IO resources for the data loading operation.
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