Administering Relational Databases on Microsoft Azure Training Course

Overview of Azure Database Services

• Fundamental components of the Azure SQL ecosystem: SQL Database, Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Virtual Machines
• Evaluation of service tiers and associated pricing structures
• Applicable scenarios for cloud-hosted relational database solutions

Provisioning and Configuration Procedures

• Creation of Azure SQL resources via the management portal and automated templates
• Configuration of elastic pools and managed instances for operational efficiency
• Administration of firewall rules and network connectivity standards

Backup, Restoration, and High Availability Protocols

• Analysis of native backup and restore capabilities
• Establishment of geo-replication and failover group configurations
• Deployment of high availability and disaster recovery strategies

Monitoring and Performance Optimization

• Utilization of Query Performance Insight and Extended Events for diagnostics
• Index optimization and query plan assessment
• Management of telemetry, alerting mechanisms, and resource consumption analytics

Security Posture and Compliance

• Implementation of authentication protocols, including SQL and Azure Active Directory
• Oversight of encryption, auditing logs, and threat detection systems
• Protection of data access pathways and enforcement of role-based access controls

Automation and Routine Maintenance

• Automation of recurring tasks using Azure Automation and Runbooks
• Job scheduling through the Elastic Jobs Agent
• Management of database updates, patching cycles, and service level agreement considerations

Summary and Subsequent Actions

• Review of core lessons and established best practices
• Exploration of professional certification pathways (e.g., DP-300)
• Access to resources for continuous professional development