SQL Server 2012 Archives

August 15, 2019

AGs and WSFC OS Rolling Upgrades: What Works and What Doesn’t

It’s been a crazy summer so far. I haven’t had much time to blog but an interesting scenario came up recently that I wanted to share with everyone. I have also missed writing technical posts, and this is a good one to scratch the itch.

In Windows Server 2016, Microsoft added the ability to do a rolling OS upgrade with a Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC). This is Microsoft’s official documentation. The SQL Server side of things is not well documented, especially for Always On Availability Groups (AGs), so I did a few tests. The results are fairly interesting. All start out with SQL Server 2012 SP4. The goal is to get to Windows Server 2016 and some version of SQL Server, whether it is the same or different.

A few things you should know

A cluster OS rolling upgrade works/is supported N-1, so you can upgrade Windows Server 2012 R2 to 2016 or Windows Server 2016 to 2019, but not Windows Server 2012 R2 to 2019.
Running validation will fail when you add a Windows Server 2016 node to a 2012 R2 WSFC.
I strongly recommend only adding the upper version nodes with that version. I saw some weird things when I tried to do it the other way.

One of the reasons this upgrade method is important is that especially in virtualized or public cloud-based architectures, you’re no longer tied to hardware for OS uprgades so how do you upgrade clustered configurations of SQL Server?

Strong Warning

The configuration for a cluster rolling upgrade allows for mixed Windows Server versions to coexist in the same WSFC. This is NOT a deployment method. It is an upgrade method. DO NOT use this for normal use. Unfortunately, Microsoft did not put a time limit on how long you can run in this condition, so you could be stupid and do something like have a mixed Windows Server 2012 R2/2016 WSFC. Fire, ready, aim. The WSFC knows about this and you’ll see a warning with an Event ID of 1548.

Figure 1. 1548 warning

Also, what is shown below when adding replicas to lower versions of SQL Server is also NOT a normal deployment method. It’s an upgrade tactic only. Don’t be dumb – especially since it’s a one way street once the AG fails over to the newer version.

If it was me, I would do all of this in one weekend if I could. Circumstances may not allow that, but don’t drag this on very long.

One very good reason to not stay this way is that when dealing with the cluster functional level, unless all nodes are at the higher version, you’re stuck at the older functionality/behaviors. A good example of a benefit you could not take advantage of is cloud witness in Windows Server 2016 if you are at a functional level of 8. 9 is Windows Server 2016 and 10 is Windows Server 2019.

Figure 2. Cluster functional level of 8, or Windows Server 2012 R2

The Tests

Detailed steps are not here, just the overall process to see what does/does not work. For a real production move, there are things I would add to this list but that isn’t what I was going for here. I also did not necessarily use the latest/greatest updates. I was testing process here so it was pretty quick, down, and dirty. There are also many more variants. You can try those yourself.

Test 1

2 x SQL Server 2012 SP4/Windows Server 2012 R2 nodes

2 x SQL Server 2012 SP4/Windows Server 2016 nodes

Figure 3. All 2012 instances

High level process:

Add the Windows Server 2016 nodes to the 2012 R2 WSFC. The WSFC is mixed, and looks similar to the screen shots below.
Figure 4. Windows Server 2012 R2 Node

Figure 5. Windows Server 2016 node
I joined the instances on the Windows Server 2016 nodes as replicas to UpgAG. This query output shows that everything has joined and seemingly looks okay. Or is it?
Figure 6. Joining the WS2016-based SQL Server 2012 instances to the AG
I then set 2012R2UPGN1 and 2016UPGN1 to synchronous data movement since I’m trying to go to WS2016. That works fine.
Figure 7. Changing how data is synchronized between 2012R2UPGN1 and 2016UPGN1
I should be able to manually initiate a failover from 2012R2UPGN1 to 2016UPGN1 right? Wrong. For whatever reason, SQL Server 2012 in this configuration can’t update possible owners on the AG resource at the WSFC level.
Figure 8. Failure to fail over

Result – Does not work. I tried to get around this by manually dealing with possible owners, but the configuration was not having it. It looks like if you want to do a rolling cluster upgrade and stay on all SQL Server 2012, you’re out of luck.

Test 2

2 x SQL Server 2012 SP4/Windows Server 2012 R2 nodes

2 x SQL Server 2012 SP4/Windows Server 2016 nodes

High level process:

Add the Windows Server 2016 nodes to the 2012 R2 WSFC.
Using the configuration from Test 1 that bombed, perform an in-place upgrade to SQL Server to 2016 on the two Windows Server 2016 nodes. Since everything at SQL Server 2012 failed, I wanted to see if this would make a difference.
Figure 9. Mixed versions of SQL Server
Set 2012R2UPGN1 and 2016UPGN1 to synchronous.
I failed UpgAG over to 2016UPGN1 from 2012R2UPGN1. This was successful, and the SQL Server 2016 replicas can now synchronize, but they cannot with the 2012 ones. That makes sense given 2012 is downlevel and upon failing over, the database was upgraded to 2016.
Figure 10. Replica states after failing over to SQL Server 2016
Remove the SQL Server 2012 replicas from the AG.
Evict the Windows Server 2012 R2 nodes from the WSFC.
Upgrade the WSFC functional level.
Figure 11. Upgrading and verifying the cluster functional level
Party.

Result – Success! This mixed combo worked and I was left with both Windows Server and SQL Server upgraded with minimal downtime and little fuss.

Test 3

2 x SQL Server 2012 SP4/Windows Server 2012 R2 nodes

2 x SQL Server 2012 SP4/Windows Server 2016 nodes

High level process:

Add the Windows Server 2016 nodes to the 2012 R2 WSFC
Join the instances on the Windows Server 2016 nodes as replicas to UpgAG.
This time upgrade all four instances in place to SQL Server 2016.
Figure 10. All SQL Server 2016 instances
Set both 2012R2UPGN1 and 2016UPGN1 to synchronous.
Manually fail UpgAG from 2012R2UPGN1 to 2016UPGN1. This succeeds.
Remove the 2012 replicas from the AG.
Evict the 2012 R2 nodes from the WSFC.
Upgrade the WSFC functional level.
Drink a beverage of your choice.

Result -Similar to Step 2, this worked with none of the problems of the all SQL Server 2012 configuration.

Test 4

2 x SQL Server 2012 SP4/Windows Server 2012 R2 nodes

2 x SQL Server 2017 CU 15 + GDR/Windows Server 2016 nodes

Figure 12. SQL Server 2012 and 2017 instances

High level process:

Add the Windows Server 2016 nodes to the 2012 R2 WSFC
When joining the SQL Server 2017 instances on the Windows Server 2016 nodes as replicas to UpgAG, there is a different behavior. Note the join state highlighted. That is not good. Can that be changed?
Figure 13. SQL Server 2017 replicas with a state of NOT_JOINED
Setting things to synchronous does not seem to help.
Figure 14. SQL Server 2017 replicas still do not have a join state that is expected
Changing ownership of UpgAG to 2016UPGN1 does not move the needle much … but it moves it a little. Note that 2016UPGN2 now has a status of JOINED_STANDALONE.
Figure 15. Failing the AG over changes the secondary replica running SQL Server 2017, but not the primary
Removing the 2012 replicas from the AG has no change on 2016UPGN1.
Figure 16. Same status for 2016UPGN1
Failing UpgAG to 2016UPGN2 however gets everthing where it should be for a join state.
Figure 17. 2016UPGN1 now has a join state that is expected
Evict the 2012 R2 nodes from the WSFC.
Upgrade the WSFC functional level.

Result – Success! This one was not straightforward, and I do not know why when you join a SQL Server 2017 replica to a lower level AG in this configuration it gives a status of NOT_JOINED. Clearly that did not happen in Test 2 or Test 3. That is a question for the dev team and another day.

Final Thoughts

While three of the configurations worked in the end, one gave me a bit of heartburn, and the fourth just didn’t work. As always, you should plan upgrades and test them before doing them on your production boxes. If you’re looking for help on upgrades or anything else SQL Server or infrastructure-related, reach out to us. We’d love to help you get to your destination!

December 10, 2015

Are You Keeping Up With .NET Framework Versions? You Should Be

You may have seen one of the 1,000,001 Tweets, blog posts, and other warnings around SQL Server 2005 end of life, and prior to that, Windows Server 2003 end of life. But there is something else intrinsic to SQL Server that you also need to worry about making sure you are up to date which affects later versions of SQL Server you may be running: the .NET Framework.

If you’re using SQL Server 2012 or later, one of the required components is some version of .NET Framework 4.x. Windows Server 2008 R2 did not ship with .NET Framework 4.x, so you would need to install it on your own or have SQL Server do it. This is known as out of band. Windows Server 2012 shipped with .NET Framework 4.0 and Windows Server 2012 R2 shipped with 4.5. This is known as in band. The good news is that for installations of SQL Server 2012 or later, you would not have to install or enable .NET Framework 4.x; it’s just there.

Like any other component, the .NET Framework needs to be managed, maintained, and updated. Depending on how .NET Framework was installed/configured, either it will be managed as part of updating Windows (in band versions), or you will need to manually update if it was installed separately (out of band, such as .NET Framework 4.x on Windows Server 2008 R2 or if you installed .NET Framework 4.5 on Windows Server 2012).

Microsoft recently published an official .NET team blog post reiterating that .NET Framework versions 4, 4.5, and 4.5.1 will no longer receive security updates, support, or hotfixes as of January 12, 2016. This was first announced back in August of 2014, so it’s not like this is new news, but I can say from experience virtually no one is talking about it. MS’ new post talks more about the upgrade path. To sum it up, you need to install .NET Framework 4.5.2, 4.6, or 4.6.1 to be considered supported when it comes to your .NET Framework version. Security is a real issue for many, and those responsible may not know that your version of .NET Framework could be a possible attack vector. Is your security team aware of this impending problem? How will this affect your version matrices (you do have those, right?)?

The bigger question is this – have you even planned for this event in your environments for both servers and any clients or application servers that run or connect to SQL Server? Have you been keeping up with .NET Framework versions or did you just install SQL Server and forget about it? I would say that most people I encounter fall into the latter. Staying supported is a key component of being mission critical.

If you haven’t thought about updating/patching your .NET Framework version, now is the time to start planning the upgrade to your preferred, supported, and tested version of .NET Framework in your environments. If you do not test against your applications, you could possibly encounter problems. In other words, without testing you are rolling the dice. That is anti-mission critical and can lead to downtime.

Another question you have to get the answer to is this: who owns this upgrade? Is it the app owner? The DBAs? The sysadmins? The .NET Framework can be a bit of a grey area depending on the server and how it was installed.

Here’s a tip: if you’re considering 4.6, just go to 4.6.1 – you’ll not only have a longer shelf life of supportability, but they enhanced the behavior of MultiSubnetFailover (see this blog post for more information) which could benefit some Availability Groups implementations (I am trying to verify if it applies to FCIs; it should as well …). To help you get to green faster, here are some handy links:

This is the KB article to get information on how to download .NET Framework 4.5.2 as an offline installer (including desktop OSes and all Windows Server OSes).
This is the link article to get information on how to download .NET Framework 4.6 as an offline installer (including desktop OSes and all Windows Server OSes
The blog post linked above for 4.6.1 has links for its download.

If you need help planning or implementing your upgrade strategies, let us know.

August 19, 2015

SQL Server Availability Group Configurations With NO Domain Requirement

You may have noticed that Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 3 was released today. For the full announcement from Microsoft on the Server & Cloud blog, click here. There is one important line that all SQL Server folks should pay attention to:

Increase flexibility by removing domain-specific constraints for SQL Server clusters

Yes, kids. That means you can create a Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC) with NO – I repeat NO – domain required. This will not work for clustered instances (FCIs) since they still require domain-based service accounts, but it will work and be supported with SQL Server 2016 for AlwaysOn Availability Groups (AGs). I would not expect Microsoft to go back and certify this configuration with SQL Server 2014 (or 2012 for that matter), but you never know. If you try and want to use 2012 or 2014 in this configuration, as of the posting of this blog post, it would be considered unsupported – don’t do that as it is the antithesis of mission critical.

This is huge and for many, will simplify AG configurations. No more CNOs and VCOs (although this was possible in Windows Server 2012 R2, you still needed the nodes to be domain joined). I have been testing this configuration with SQL Server 2016 CTP 2.2 and the builds of Windows Server 2016, but due to NDA, have not been able to talk about it until today because it had not been publicly announced. For everyone who has been complaining how DBM was better, you got your wish – this allows you to have an AG configuration which is the same as the one that you had using database mirroring (DBM) with certificates.

The demo configuration I will show below is multi-subnet to simulate two different data centers. Node One (SYLVESTER) is in subnet one and Node Two (TWEETY) is in subnet two. These are not joined to any domain as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1. Sylvester not joined to a domain

Figure 2. Tweety is also not domain joined

So far, so good. My WSFC’s name is PUDDYTAT. The entire configuration can be seen in Figure 3.

Figure 3. WSFC info

I have an AG named AG1 with a Listener named GRANNY. Its info is in Figure 4.

Figure 4. AG info in the WSFC

While you can see that the AG is up and running in Figure 4, Figure 5 shows it working in SSMS. Viola!

Figure 5. AG working with no domain

If you don’t believe me yet, to further drive the point home, I left the accounts running the SQL Server instances as local accounts (NT Service\MSSQLSERVER and NT Service\SQLSERVERAGENT). This can be seen in Figure 6. Figure 6 also shows the properties of SQL Server where the ability to use AGs is enabled. This is very real and works as advertised. I’m excited about this.

Figure 6. Local service accounts but still joined to a WSFC

As always, there are some caveats to this configuration that you should be aware of:

At least in TP3, you cannot create or administer the WSFC via Failover Cluster Manager. Everything must be done in PowerShell. This may not change between now and RTM of Windows Server 2016, so if you are uncomfortable administering clusters via PowerShell, this is not a configuration you should be using. If you try to use Failover Cluster Manager, you will see the message in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Cannot use FCM in a non-domain scenario

This will make using the AG Wizard to do your backups a bit trickier since shared directories usually use domain-based accounts. You may have to manually deal with them if you are not using domains or do not have trusted domains.
There are some flags that get tripped during Cluster Validation (namely, no domain) that should be fixed by RTM. This is a known issue in TP3.
With no domain requirement, this also means no Kerberos however, if each node is in a different domain (i.e. one in Site, another domain in Site B) but crosses boundaries, you should be able to have Kerberos. I have not tested this configuration yet (it is on my list). This should even enable cross-domain migrations – again a scenario I have yet to test. There are more, but hey, first blog post and all of that.
You will need to add the DNS suffix manually otherwise the WSFC will not come online
Networking is clearly crucial here, and things like DNS replication will be important.
File Share Witness is not supported, so you will need to use asymmetric disk (which defeats the purpose of AGs with no shared storage) or Cloud Witness.

The good news is now that this is public, this bit will most likely make it into the book. I wanted to do a quick blog on it, and if I get time, I will show how I created this in a blog post soon. Also, with this now public, I may make this one of the labs for my PASS Summit 2015 preconference session Advanced SQL Server Availability Architectures and Deployments. Sign up now!

UPDATE: I just saw that Subhasish of the Cluster team on Windows just blogged a bit more about the Windows side of this.

Also, due to the fact that the AG configuration is standalone with no storage and there was an error during validation (TP3 known issue I mention above) due to the fact these are not domain joined, I used the -Force and -NoStorage options of New-Cluster.

May 21, 2015

Mission Critical SQL Server Book Update – May, 2015

UPDATE – December, 2016 – see this blog post

These days, one of the things everyone asks me is related to the book – mainly “How is it coming?” – a nice way of asking “Is it done yet?” It’s been awhile since the last update, and I figured it is time for a new one. If you are subscribed to the pre-release content, look for new chapters starting the week of May 25 (next week). Everyone who is not subscribed will need to wait for the final, completed book. There is a chance I may decide to put a few preview chapters up, but only when some more hit the pre-release folks; it is only fair.

So why the delay? Writing a book and publishing it on your own is much harder. My previous books were all done through a publisher who had editors and other bits of infrastructure I do not have at my fingertips. For the most part, I am a single threaded, one man show on the production of this book.

When I put the book up for preorder in July of 2013, I had an idea what I was signing myself for because I had written books before. Writing and publishing – especially self-publishing – is a whole different ball game if you want to do it right and not just dump raw Word files into the world and call it a book.

The good news is that I recently found an editor so the book will have a nice level of spit and polish. I’ve worked with her in the past, and am looking forward to seeing what she delivers. Having said that, primary writing and reviews must be completed before I can turn it over to her.

The only thing I can equate this to is when I scored a friend’s musical in the mid-1990s. I had played in tons of pit bands going back to when I started playing bass in 1980, so I figured, “How hard could this be?” Oh, how naïve I was. Between learning the scoring program, writing and arranging for multiple instruments, rehearsals, corrections – you name it. This was not a one day or one week process. I learned a lot, but it was very painful. Arranging got a lot easier after that, and so, too, will any future projects I do in the self-publishing arena.

Add to that my normal day job (consulting, training, as well as running SQLHA with Max), presenting, eating, sleeping, and trying to live my life somewhere in there along with the writing – oy! There just is only so much time and energy I have. However, I do believe all of these things play into one reason I believe that my books have been well received in the past. I bring real world perspective and experience to the table. If I am not doing this stuff for real, it’s just lab work.

For example, Max and I spent the better part of last year working with a large customer on a virtualized SQL Server project which also leveraged quite a few new storage and networking technologies not usually used with SQL Server. What was gained there will be filtered into the book, so you will be getting a lot better content than if I was not also actively doing consulting projects.

In more good news, I have pretty much cleared the decks for the next month or two to get all of the primary writing completed. Chapters need to be reviewed, and then reviewer feedback and corrections incorporated. Once all of the chapters are done, they will be handed off to the editor. Last but not least, all of the final formatting needs to be finished on the edited chapters. This is the entire book process in a nutshell.

Below are some specific questions that I want to address now because I have been asked from time to time. I have also updated the FAQ accordingly.

What content/chapters will the book contain?

While it may change a little, this is the near-final chapter list with my working (read: not final) titles:

Basics of Availability
Data Center Principles
Brief Intro to the SQL Server HA Features
Windows
Networking Part 1
Networking Part 2
Storage Part 1
Storage Part 2
Security
WSFC
Quorum Part 1
Quorum Part 2
Planning FCIs
FCI 2008 R2
FCI 2012
FCI 2014
Scripting Installations
Planning AGs
Implementing AGs
Cluster Admin/Troubleshooting
Backups Part 1
Backups Part 2
Admin/Monitoring
Planning Highly Available Upgrades
Solutions
Building Your Own Virtualized Test Environment

As you can tell, this is quite a bit of content. Right now the book will weigh in somewhere between 1000 and 1500 pages in Word prior to any formatting. Many of these chapters are in process, so those of you that have seen the updates may have only seen a few chapters but a lot of these are in various states of completion. If you are subscribed to the pre-release content, you’ll see all of this content soon.

When will the book truly be done?

From a timing perspective, assuming no issues or problems, primary writing should be done by July, edits by late August/early September, and then onto formatting. It really should be released on or before PASS Summit 2015. That is what I am working towards, and I see no reason that cannot be achieved.

I know people have been waiting patiently for Mission Critical SQL Server. My mistake in hindsight was putting it up so soon for preorder and not anticipating some of the roadblocks that popped up since putting it up for sale. I know that now, and will never repeat that again. For that, I apologize and I do believe the wait will be worth it.

I paid forever and a day ago – where is my money?

No one has asked, but I’m being forthcoming here – it’s sitting in a bank account earmarked for paying book costs. It’s not long gone. I made sure this happened for a very good reason. I need to pay people like editors 🙂

I subscribed to get updates to the book once it is released – will I still get them?

Yes! Needless to say, I’ll make sure you are taken care of. See the next question for a touch more detail, too.

If you preorder with updates on or before May 31, 2015, look for an e-mail from me soon. Anyone preordering with the updates option post-June 1, 2015, will get updates for the specified term – one year post-book release.

Will you do anything for people who purchased Mission Critical SQL Server a long time ago and have been waiting patiently?

Yes! I’m figuring out what that will be. This is different than the post-release updates. But the same rules will generally apply: pre-May 31, 2015 and post-May 31, 2015. I do appreciate your patience, and trust me, no one wants this done more than me because it is a big thing on my plate. There are other things I’d like to do which cannot get done until the book is complete.

When you first announced the book, you said it would cover through SQL Server 2012. What about 2014 and 2016 now that they are out or announced? How about Windows Server 2016?

Here is even better news. With the book being delayed, SQL Server 2014 is now included in this version. I will touch on a few 2016 (SQL Server and Windows things) but the first updates to the book will arguably be SQL Server 2016 and Windows Server 2016. Once those are released, I’ll examine what needs to be updated or added, and go from there. It is too soon to tell.

Any current discounts?

Yes. 20% until May 31, 2015 off of anything in the store. Code to be entered at checkout: MAY31

July 11, 2013

Allan’s Mission Critical SQL Server Book Ordering Information and FAQ

(Updated 12/31/2016 – see this blog post)

Mission Critical SQL Server is available for preorder here. Below you’ll find all of the information you need about it. And if this doesn’t answer your questions, post a comment or contact us.

1. Why am I publishing the book on my own this time?

This is not because I had a falling out with Apress; we’re on good terms. We just didn’t agree on the vision for the content. I wanted a larger no-compromises book more like my Pro SQL Server 2005 High Availability one; they did not. It’s really that simple. With all of the changes in Windows and SQL Server just through their 2012 versions (as well as SQL Server 2014), this is not going to be anything approximating a 300 page book; that’s too tiny and would be too incomplete. You guys benefit from my being unwilling to compromise here, but I get to drive myself nuts in the process being the perfectionist I am. After this book I may do another for Apress again if this book doesn’t beat me!

2. What versions of Windows and SQL Server are covered in the First Edition?

See the product description on the store for details.

3. What electronic format(s) will Mission Critical SQL Server be available in?

Initially, the eBook and all associated content will be in the ubiquitous Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) format. Most platforms have programs that can read this for free even if your preferred platform isn’t Windows. I hope to offer it in other formats like Kindle/Mobi, ePub, and maybe iBook in the future.

4. Will there be digital rights management (DRM) on the PDF file(s)?

This is a sticky wicket. DRM makes life hard and I respect people do not want it. Passwords make it difficult to put on reading devices. Non-DRMed files make it easier to consume. At the same time, I also don’t want to see my content thrown up for free on some torrent site, nor do I want people to be able to easily republish it. Each copy will essentially be watermarked for who buys it and restrictions as laid out in Mission Critical SQL Server Store and Content Terms apply.

5. Will I only be able to buy Mission Critical SQL Server at http://sqlha.contentshelf.com/shop?

For now, yes. I hope to offer the book elsewhere over time. As noted in #2, the goal is to convert the content to other popular formats such as ePub and Kindle/Mobi – maybe even iBooks. That would need to happen before I can offer the content elsewhere. With the number of graphic elements in the book, that may prove to be both challenging and expensive. If you are wanting another format, contact us. The more evidence I have, the more likely it will be to happen. Converting it to other formats will be costly, so if there is not enough interest, I may not be able to do it. I am being realistic here.

6. I live in <insert country here>. Can I buy the book?

Yes. As long as you can check out, it’s a digital download making it easy to get to you. All prices are in US Dollars.

7. I live in <insert country here> and do not read or speak English well. Will you be offering non-English versions of the book?

There are no plans for the book to be translated to other languages.

8. Will there be a physical/print version of the book?

I would love to be able to offer one. Once the book is complete and I know a page count, I may reconsider a print version if it is possible and the cost will not be astronomical. Stay tuned.

9. What is an updated content subscription and why are you offering one?

Books are like snapshots: they are a moment frozen in time. Updating them is difficult and usually there is a long time between releases. A lot can change in a few months, a year, two years.What I’ve decided to do to combat that is to offer a subscription where you will get all the updated content as it is finished. For example, once SQL Sever 2016 and Windows Server 2016 are released, those updates could be incorporated before doing a major edition of the book which would be a year or two out. This gets you newer content quicker – if you want it.

Also, since the release cadence is changing for the Microsoft server products, traditional publishing just may not be possible for specific versions. By the time you’re done writing it, it’s obsolete. I want to have a good foundation to build upon and just extend it. Hope that makes sense.

10. How long does a subscription last?

It’s a yearly subscription which you will manually have to resubscribe to.

UPDATE 5/21/2015: If you preordered the book with an update subscription prior to May 31, 2015, look for an e-mail from me soon. Post-May 31, it will be only one year from the date that this edition of the book is published. So if it is officially released, say, on 10/1/15, your subscription would end on 9/30/16 if not renewed.

11. How much is a subscription renewal?

It’s $25/year. And as pointed out in the previous question’s answer, you elect to renew or not. My goal is to provide high value content so that you want to.

12. Do I need to buy the book again when you publish a new edition and I already have an updated content subscription?

If you have an active subscription, no. The goal is to only have you buy one major edition of the book and then you get updates as they happen. Information changes over time, and I’m trying to be agile and deliver you content ASAP and not have to wait years between releases. If you only want to consume major versions, just buy the new edition of the eBook when it is published. Simple.

13. If I buy the book from anywhere else but your store, can I get a updated content subscription?

No. If I do convert the book to other formats and offer it for sale elsewhere such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., those stores will only get the major edition (i.e. First Edition, Second Edition, etc.). I have to give myself some sort of exclusive, right? I may change my mind on this once the book is available elsewhere and offer something. Time will tell, but do not hold your breath.

14. Can I get access to pre-release content like other publishers offer?

Yes. It’s not free, but it is pretty cheap considering you’ll get to see things months in advance. Two of the bundles offer this option. There is currently pre-release content with more coming. Remember that the pre-release content has not been reviewed or edited, so it’s going to be raw and could contain errors.

15. Why are things priced the way they are?

I can tell you from authoring books in the past I make pennies on the proverbial dollar taking into account all the work and hours I put into the final product. This time, since I’m self-publishing, I make even less PLUS I’ve got very real, very tangible costs I need to deal with such as editing as well as costs for hosting and selling the book (including fees associated with subscriptions). I am not rich. I can’t operate at a substantial loss. I also know that I can’t charge $100+ for an eBook. I’ve priced the main eBook competitively with other similarly priced books even though it will be larger than most of them. I think it represents good value for the price you’ll pay.

16. Do you offer discounts or coupons?

I run specials, so check the store.

17. Can I use the PDF(s) I get from you directly on any device I own?

Absolutely! See our Mission Critical SQL Server Store and Content Terms for more detail. There’s a reason I chose this format.

18. Can I buy multiple copies of the for multiple people such as a class, seminar, DBA department, etc.?

19. Can I share the PDF(s) of the content with people I know? They’re really nice people and need some information on these subjects. I vouch for them.

NO! The copy you purchase is only licensed for the person buying the book (hence the watermark). I didn’t put DRM or passwords on it. Respect me and ensure that everyone buys their own copy. And if you upload the content to some nefarious site, I’ll see the watermark. It’s things like this that would make me never do this again. I know I can’t stop it 100%, but you hurt me more than you help me.

20. What if I am unsure if I want to buy it? Will you have some sort of a sample for me to look at?

I am planning on providing this as things get finished and posted; nothing is ready yet. If you have read any of my other books or writings, though, you have an idea of what you’re in for. 🙂

[Updated 5/21/15] 21. It’s May 2015. Is the book done?
See this blog post for more details.

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